The Fruits of Labor: Home Food Procurement and Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19

We examine the relationship of home food procurement (HFP) during COVID-19 to emotional eating and stress using a statewide representative survey (n = 600) in Vermont. Women and people with a job change since COVID-19 were more likely to experience higher stress and emotional eating. Engaging in HFP, especially gardening, is associated with less emotional eating. However, people who fished, hunted, or canned more since the pandemic began were more likely to eat for emotional reasons and experience higher stress. These results suggest that gardening, even during a pandemic, may contribute to stress reduction, more so than other nature-based food production activities.Copyright © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The effect of eating behaviour upon BMI in women with gestational diabetes

Aims: Gestational diabetes has been attributed to maternal obesity and suboptimal maternal diet but the relative contribution of maternal eating behaviour is unknown. We compared eating behaviour in women with gestational diabetes and non-pregnant adults, and assessed which eating behaviour traits were most strongly associated with BMI in women with gestational diabetes. Method(s): Participants (total n = 448) including men (n = 67), non-pregnant women (n = 181) and women with gestational diabetes during a singleton pregnancy (n = 200;29 weeks' gestation;NICE / Covid-19 criteria) were recruited prospectively and completed a three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ-R18). Associations between BMI and uncontrolled eating (UE), emotional eating (EE) and cognitive restraint (CR) were assessed using linear regression. Result(s): Women with gestational diabetes had significantly lower UE scores compared to men (53% vs 63%;p < 0.001) and non-pregnant women (53% vs 65%;p < 0.001), and lower EE scores compared to non-pregnant women (60% vs 70%;p < 0.001). In men, BMI showed positive associations with UE (Coeff 25.2;95% CI 10.8-39.6;p = 0.001) and EE scores (Coeff 11.9;95% CI 3.3-20.6;p = 0.007) while CR had no significant association. In non-pregnant women, BMI showed positive associations with UE (Coeff 20.7 95% CI 11.4-30.0), p < 0.001) and EE scores (Coeff 7.7;95% CI 1.8-13.6;p = 0.010) and negative associations with CR (Coef-10.6;95% CI -21.1 to -0.1;p = 0.049). In women with gestational diabetes, only EE scores were significantly associated with BMI (Coeff 7.8;95% CI 3.9-11.7;p < 0.001). Conclusion(s): Women with gestational diabetes have favourable eating behaviour compared to men and non-pregnant women. Addressing EE may provide new translational opportunities to reduce BMI in gestational diabetes.

Comparative efficacy of remotely delivered mindfulness-based eating awareness training versus behavioral-weight loss counseling during COVID-19.

Introduction: Dysregulated eating (emotional eating, cue-elicited eating, and dietary restraint and restriction) has been linked to being overweight or obese. The present investigation used a random controlled trial (RCT) to test the differential efficacy of remotely delivered Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) and Behavioral Weight Loss (BWL) counseling. Methods: The sample was recruited through advertisements that offered help to people "with problems controlling their eating" or "interested in improving their relationship with food" (n = 135). Results: Retention was low in both groups (42%), but not dissimilar to retention rates reported in related clinical trials delivered "in person." Among the participants who completed treatment, we found no between-group differences in any of the treatment outcomes, but participants in both groups experienced significant increases in eating-related mindfulness [Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) and awareness [Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), and significant decreases in unhealthy eating patterns [Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ); Binge Eating Scale (BES), and weight over the course of treatment. Participants in both groups also experienced increases in self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)], although these increases likely reflected normative changes observed in the population at large during COVID-19. Discussion: Overall, the results suggest that dysregulated eating and weight loss intervention delivered remotely via teleconference can be effective.

"If I start panicking over having enough, then I start eating too much": Understanding the eating behaviors of SNAP recipients in larger bodies during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Living in a food-insecure household may increase the risk for disordered eating. Though the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was designed to reduce food insecurity, it may increase risk for disordered eating with the frequency in which benefits are distributed. Limited research has explored the lived experiences of managing eating behaviors while on SNAP, particularly among SNAP participants in larger bodies, and during COVID-19. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the experiences with eating behaviors among adults with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, and who received SNAP benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Eligible adults were recruited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis and content analysis. RESULTS: Participants (N = 16), had a mean (±SD) age of 43.4 ± 10.9 years, and overwhelmingly identified as female (86 %). One-third of the participants were Black. We identified 4 main themes: (1) not having enough money/benefits to cover needs; (2) navigating loss of control and emotional eating; (3) making sure the kids are alright; and (4) still feeling the pressure to manage weight. CONCLUSION: Managing eating behaviors while also navigating SNAP benefits is complex and may exacerbate risk of disordered eating.

Adult eating behavior at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Difficulties in accessing food and social distancing triggered more anxiety, stress and consumption of low-cost and ultra-processed foods. Objective(s): To investigate changes in eating behavior and its relationship with socioeconomic aspects. Method(s): Study conducted virtually between May and June 2020 with 949 adults, with questionnaires on socioeconomic data, changes in eating behavior, frequency of food consumption and the TFEQ-21. The analysis was performed descriptively and the TFEQ-21 according to the scores of each factor. The relationship between the variableswas analyzed using Pearson's correlation test. Result(s): 63% considered cooking more food, 41% and 38% said they were more likely to eat with company and in peace, respectively. 38.6% reduced fast-food purchases, but 43.2% increased food consumption and 41.8% consumption of sweets. In women, the higher the BMI, the greater the emotional eating and cognitive restriction (p<0.001). In these, emotional eating was greater if they did not have children or higher education (p<0.001), and the restriction was greater with physical activity, not having a stable relationship, having children (p<0.001), employment and higher education (p<0.05). In men, emotional eating was related to higher BMI (p<0.05) and both variables were related to physical activity (p<0.001). Conclusion(s): Changes such as cooking more, reducing fast food, eating calmly and with company were observed compared to before the pandemic. It is noted that in women there is a greater relationship between restriction and emotional eating with various aspects of the social and economic context.Copyright © 2023 Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto - U.S.P.. All rights reserved.

Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on Dysfunctional Eating Behaviors and Symptoms among the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: The coronavirus outbreak has been publicly and formally defined a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11th 2020. Some extreme but effective safety measures have been applied in order to limit the spread of the infection among the population. The price of COVID-19 restrictive measures and lockdowns has been especially heavy for individual's mental health. There is previous evidence that the COVID-19-related lockdown has impacted on mental health worsening among individuals with Feeding and Eating Disorders (EDs) and clinical obesity. Potential affecting aspects might have been restriction to daily activities and movements, excessive exposure to harmful eating patterns on social media, emotional distress, fear of contagion, and low access to treatment and care. Nevertheless, especially on the basis of the proven-detrimental impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on in- dividuals with clinical eating disorders, home confinement might analogously have had a negative impact also on the eating behaviors of individuals from the general population. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of EDs symptoms and dysfunctional eating behaviours (i.e. emotional overeating, night eating, snacking, binge eating, undereating, food avoidance) among the general population. Method(s): We searched eligible articles in Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science. Prevalence rates were pooled with meta-analysis using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was tested using I-squared (I2) statistics. A total of 221 studies met the inclusion criteria. Result(s): The pooled prevalence of increased body weight was 33% (95% CI 30-35) among individuals in 84 studies. Forty-five percent (95% CI 31-59) of participants in 10 studies experienced body shape concern, body dissatisfaction and body misperception. Other EDs symptoms increased in the general population during the pandemic, such as overeating (41%;95% CI 33-48), food cravings (36%;95% CI 12- 59), binge eating (35%;95% CI 20-51), emotional eating (28%;95% CI 23-33) and snacking (27%;95% CI 23-32). Food restriction, excessive physical activity, weight loss and night eating were also common. Pooled data of longitudinal studies showed a significant difference in BMI and dysfunctional eating behaviours before and during the pandemic. Conclusion(s): This meta-analysis evidenced a negative impact of the pandemic on eating behaviors among the general population. Overall, these results highlight the need for further high-quality longitudinal studies that examine which specific populations experienced higher distress than others, and what are the long-term negative consequences of COVID-19.

Evaluation of COVID-19 fear and nutrition habits in healthcare workers

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the COVID-19 fear level and nutrition habits of healthcare workers. Material(s) and Method(s): This research was conducted with 208 healthcare workers in Konya City Hospital and Meram State Hospital. Participants filled out the sociodemographic information form, COVID-19 Phobia Scale and Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. The SPSS 22,0 program was used for data analysis. Result(s): Among participants between the ages of 18-65 included in the study, 59.1% (n=123) were female and 40.9% (n=85) were male. The average age of participants was found to be 29.32 +/-0.43 years. In the COVID-19 Phobia Scale, scores of women in psychological (p<0.001), somatic (p=0.001), social (p=0.001), economic (p=0.001) sub-dimensions and total score (p=0.026) were found to be higher than those of men. Fear levels of married participants were higher in somatic (p=0.018) and economic (p=0.044) sub-dimensions. Scores of obese and overweight participants' in psychological (p=0.002), somatic (p=0.017), social (p=0.028), economic (p=0.011) sub-dimensions and in total score (p=0.001) were found to be lower. The total score of the Three-Factor Nutrition Questionnaire (p=0.017) and emotional eating levels (p=0.006) of healthcare workers who had COVID-19 before were found to be higher. It was detected that there was a positive correlation between the degree of emotional eating and the social sub-dimension (p=0.048), and there was a negative relationship between the degree of consciously restricting eating and the psychological sub-dimension (p=0.009). Discussion(s): Nutritional habits have changed due to isolation conditions, sedentary lifestyles and the need for supplemental food. The stressful and risky working environment of healthcare workers affected their fear levels. With the increase in the fear level, eating habits have also changed. As in all pandemics, policies should be followed to reduce the level of fear of healthcare workers, who are among risky groups, during the COVID-19 pandemic process. In this process, the importance of nutrition should be emphasized and negative habits should be avoided.Copyright © 2022, Derman Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.

Boredom, interoceptive ability, and emotional eating

Emotional eating is a commonly described phenomenon reported by individuals across the weight spectrum. Not only does existing evidence suggest it is not an effective emotion regulation strategy, but emotional eating is also associated with difficulty losing weight during weight loss interventions and other negative health outcomes. The majority of existing work in the area of emotional eating has focused on the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Yet, there are data suggesting that different emotions appear to produce different changes in eating behaviors, suggesting the importance of investigating the influence of discrete emotions on eating. The lack of understanding regarding eating in response to boredom in particular, is a major gap in the current literature. Moreover, little is known about individual characteristics that could make some individuals more vulnerable to "bored eating." Given data suggesting interoception as central to other forms of dysregulated eating, as well as its theoretical relevance, the current study focused on interoceptive ability as a vulnerability factor for bored eating. Utilizing an experimental design, Study 1 examined boredom as a trigger of snacking behaviors in a laboratory setting. Due to COVID-19, data collection was terminated early, but preliminary results provided tentative support for a causal role of boredom in food consumption. Study 2 was a cross-sectional, correlational extension of Study 1. Consistent with predictions, Study 2 found that boredom proneness was a significant predictor of emotional eating, even when accounting for the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Inconsistent with hypotheses, the association between boredom proneness and emotional eating was not moderated by interoception. Findings have implications for the prevention and treatment of emotional eating. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19-related changes in eating disorder pathology, emotional and binge eating and need for care: a systematic review with frequentist and Bayesian meta-analyses.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a leading cause of stress and feelings of loss of control, both of which have been related to eating disorder (ED) pathology onset and deterioration. We aim to estimate the magnitude of changes in the prevalence rates of, and indicators for, ED psychopathology in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Pre-registered systematic review with frequentist and Bayesian meta-analyses. Searches for eligible studies were performed in PubMed, Web of Science and pre-print servers until January 15 2023. RESULTS: Our searches yielded 46 eligible studies reporting on a total of 4,688,559 subjects. These data provide strong evidence indicating increased rates of diagnosed and self-reported ED's and a concordant increased need for care in the face of the pandemic. ED symptom severity scores in patients were not elevated during the pandemic, except for those related to anorexia nervosa. On average, people in the general population report relatively high levels of emotional and binge eating during the pandemic, although the evidential strength for these associations is only anecdotal to moderate. Moderators of between-study heterogeneity were not detected. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a wide spread negative effect on ED pathology in patient samples and the general population. The development of online prevention and intervention programs for EDs during stressful times like a pandemic is encouraged. A limitation is that the results reported here may be prone to biases, amongst others, self-report bias. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, systematic review and meta-analysis. PREREGISTRATION: Prospero [ https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero ] ID: CRD42022316105.

The Correlation between Social Media Addiction and Emotional Eating during the COVID-19 Quarantine Period.

This study was conducted with 458 participants. The demographic and health information of the participants along with the Social Media Addiction, Emotional Eating Scale were obtained. The level of social media addiction in adults was moderate, and women were more interested in social media than men. As the average age of participants increased, the virtual tolerance, virtual communication, social media scores decreased (p < .05). The study found that 51.6% of individuals with emotional eating tendencies happened to be obese. The social media addiction scale scores of those with emotional eating tendencies were higher than those without emotional eating tendencies (p < .05).

Evaluation of Perceived Depression, Anxiety, Stress Levels and Emotional Eating Behaviours and Their Predictors among Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to (1) evaluate the prevalence and predictors of perceived depression, anxiety, stress (DAS) levels and emotional eating behaviours, (2) determine the correlations between DAS levels and emotional eating behaviours during the pandemic. DESIGN: An online cross-sectional study included questions about demographic and anthropometric characteristics, dietary habits, Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. The snowball sampling method was used. SETTING: Turkiye. PARTICIPANTS: The study population was 2002 adults aged ≥18 years. RESULT: The mean age was 27.1±9.52 years (72.1% females, 27.9% males). The prevalence of moderate to severe depression, anxiety, and stress was reported as 27.8%, 30.5%, and 30.7%, respectively. Skipping meals (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.14-1.49) was associated with depression. Weight gain (OR=1.43, 95% CI =1.19-1.66; OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.14-1.49; OR=1.39, 95% CI=1.14-1.64), weight loss (OR=1.45, 95% CI = 1.20-1.70; OR=1.37, 95% CI=1.11-1.62; OR=1.46, 95% CI=1.20-1.72), exercising at least 150 minutes per week (OR=0.64, 95% CI = 0.46- 0.83; OR= 0.73, 95% CI = 0.55-0.92; OR=0.83, 95% CI =0.63-1.02), and maintaining an adequate and balanced diet (OR=0.52, 95% Cl=0.33-0.71; OR=0.53, 95% CI =0.34-0.73; OR=0.63, 95% CI =-0.15-0.35) were associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Body mass index (r=0.169, p<0.001), weight (r=0.152, p<0.001), number of snacks (r=0.102, p=0.011), depression (r=0.060, p=0.007), anxiety (r=0.061, p=0.006), and stress (r=0.073, p=0.001) levels were positively correlated with EMAQ-negative scores. CONCLUSION: Approximately one out of every three participants reported moderate to severe DAS levels. Emotional eating was significantly correlated with perceived DAS. The predictors obtained in the study suggest that a healthy diet and lifestyle behaviours are part of psychological well-being and emotional eating.

Nutritional behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: the association of fear and sleep quality with emotional eating.

PURPOSE: Even though it is known that fear and poor sleep quality trigger emotional eating, whether fear and poor sleep quality are associated with emotional eating during the COVID-19 pandemic is not clear. This study aimed to evaluate the association of fear of COVID-19, sleep quality, and some sociodemographic characteristics with emotional eating during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: This cross-sectional descriptive study was completed with 495 participants in Turkey. The participants filled out a questionnaire that asked about sociodemographic characteristics, fear of COVID-19, nutritional behaviors, sleep quality, and self-reported weight and height through email or social media. RESULTS: The fear of COVID-19 score (ß: 0.090, p < 0.05) and sleep quality score (ß: 0.289, p < 0.001) were associated with the emotional eating score at the rate of 0.8% and 8.3%, respectively. The association of fear of COVID-19 with emotional eating disappeared when combined with various factors. The collective association of all factors, fear of COVID-19 (ß: 0.042, p > 0.05), sleep quality (ß: 0.246, p < 0.001), BMI (ß: 0.275, p < 0.001), age (ß: - 0.259, p < 0.001) and gender (ß: - 0.169, p < 0.001) were associated with the emotional eating score at the rate of 18.3%. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that fear of COVID-19, sleep quality, BMI, age, and gender were associated with emotional eating during the pandemic. We hope that this study will help in the development of guidelines and strategies through understanding the factors associated with nutritional behavior during the pandemic period. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

Emotional eating in relation to psychological stress during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in faculty of medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Stress, anxiety, and depression resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as subsequent restrictive measures had a negative impact on eating behaviors. This study aimed to determine the emotional eating behaviors and the perceived stress level and to assess the relation between them among adults in the faculty of medicine during the late period of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study among 580 persons from the faculty of medicine, at Tanta University, Egypt conducted over a period of one month during the last period of partial lockdown (October 2020). A self-administered structured questionnaire consisted of five parts used in the study (sociodemographic factors, COVID-19-related parameters, nutrition-related information during the pandemic, emotional eating scale, and perceived stress scale). RESULTS: More than two-fifths of students, employees, and staff (45.2%, 45.5%, and 44.2%, respectively) stated that their weight increased as a result of the lockdown. 50.8% of students, 42.5% of employees, and 54.6% of staff were in the moderate emotional eating groups. Similarly, the majority of students, employees, and staff reported moderate levels of stress(84%, 80.8%, and 76.1% respectively). The total emotional eating score was positively correlated with the total perceived stress scores (r = 0.13, p = 0.001*). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during the period of lockdown, had a negative impact on individuals' psychological stress levels and levels of emotional eating behaviors.

A cotwin control study of associations between financial hardship and binge eating phenotypes during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 was associated with significant financial hardship and increased binge eating (BE). However, it is largely unknown whether financial stressors contributed to BE during the pandemic. We used a longitudinal, cotwin control design that controls for genetic/environmental confounds by comparing twins in the same family to examine whether financial hardship during COVID-19 was associated with BE. METHODS: Female twins (N = 158; Mage  = 22.13) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry rated financial stressors (e.g., inability to afford necessities) daily for 49 consecutive days during COVID-19. We first examined whether financial hardship was associated with BE phenotypes across the full sample. We then examined whether cotwins who differed on financial hardship also differed in BE. RESULTS: Participants who experienced greater mean financial hardship across the study had significantly greater dimensional BE symptoms, and participants who experienced greater financial hardship on a given day reported significantly more emotional eating that day. These results were replicated in cotwin control analyses. Twins who experienced more financial hardship than their cotwin across the study reported greater dimensional BE symptoms than their cotwin, and participants who experienced more financial hardship than their cotwin on a given day reported greater emotional eating that day. Results were identical when restricting analyses to monozygotic twins, suggesting associations were not due to genetic confounds. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that BE-related symptoms may be elevated in women who experienced financial hardship during COVID-19 independent of potential genetic/environmental confounds. However, additional research in larger samples is needed. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Little is known regarding how financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to increased binge eating (BE). We found preliminary evidence that financial hardship during COVID-19 may be associated with greater rates of BE-related symptoms even when comparing twins from the same family. While additional research is needed, results suggest that people who experienced financial hardship during COVID-19 may be at increased risk for BE.

HEALTHY HABITS IN CSIC WORKERS DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN IN SPAIN

Aim: COVID-19 crisis has caused a deep change in citizen's lifestyle. Previous outbreaks have shown that people under confinement can develop mental health problems and cause effects on physical activity (PA) and changes in the diet habits. Subject and Methods: An online questionnaire about healthy habits during the Spanish lockdown was sent to workers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Results: A general improvement in the dietary patterns, except for the intake of snacks and bakery goods was observed. PA was subs-tantially reduced, mostly in men, unlike the emotional changes, which were greater in women, mainly observed as anxiety and sleep disorders. Additionally, emotional eating (EE) behaviors were detected mainly in women, although the intake related to boredom was observed in both genders. Conclusions: Ove-rall, the dietary patterns of CSIC workers followed the general recommendations for COVID-19 lockdown. However, half of the participants decreased their PA practice. Regarding to the emotional changes, emotional eating behaviors were associated with anxiety, especially in women, and boredom for both genders. © 2022, CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas. All rights reserved.

Emotional Eating and Changes in High-Sugar Food and Drink Consumption Linked to Psychological Distress and Worries: A Cohort Study from Norway.

Psychological distress is linked to unhealthy eating behaviors such as emotional eating and consumption of high-sugar food and drinks. Cross-sectional studies from early in the COVID-19 pandemic showed a high occurrence of worries and psychological distress, and this was associated with emotional eating. Few larger studies have examined how this coping pattern develops over time. This cohort study with 24,968 participants assessed changes over time in emotional eating, consumption of sugary foods as an example of unhealthy food choices, and consumption of fruits and vegetables as an example of healthy food choices. Further, associations between these and psychological distress, worries, and socio-demographic factors were assessed. Data were collected at three time points (April 2020, initially in the COVID-19 pandemic, then one and two years later). Emotional eating and intake of sugary foods and drinks were high at the start of the pandemic, followed by a reduction over time. High psychological distress was strongly associated with higher levels of emotional eating and high-sugar food intake, and lower levels of healthy eating habits. The strength of this association reduced over time. Our findings indicate the high frequency in unhealthy food choices seen early in the COVID-19 pandemic improved over time.

Are depression, resilience and fear of COVID-19 related to eating behavior and nutrition status of university students?

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to examine eating behaviors and their association with fear and depression states concerning COVID-19 among students in Turkey. METHODS: A total number of 499 students, 336 (67.3%) female and 163 (32.7%) male, participated in an online-based cross-sectional study. The survey collected data on the Dutch eating behavior questionnaire (DEBQ), along with measuring psychological effect by using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Brief Resilience Scale. In addition, 24-h dietary records were used to calculate the daily energy and macronutrient intakes in the study. RESULTS: A negative correlation between brief resilience and fear of COVID-19 was found. Total and subdomain DEBQ scores were positively correlated with fear of COVID-19; conversely, there was a negative correlation with brief resilience (P < 0.05). More than half (58.9%) of students had depression, and students who had moderate and severe depression had higher total DEBQ and emotional eating scores. Students with severe depression had the highest levels of fear of COVID-19. Students having higher daily energy intake had greater fear concerning COVID-19, and the daily energy intake was negatively correlated with restrained and external eating. CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, negative psychological effects resulted in unfavorable dietary behavioral consequences, depending on the increasing levels of stress.

Examination of eating and nutritional habits in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: Health care workers are in the high-risk group in terms of contracting infection because of their role in providing care to patients with COVID-19. We aim to examine the relationship between perceived stress, emotional eating, and nutritional habits in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey in Turkey between July 1, 2021 and August 15, 2021. Overall, 405 participants age 19 to 67 y completed an online survey incorporating the Emotional Eating Scale (Cronbach's α = 0.84), Perceived Stress Scale (Cronbach's α = 0.84), and Nutrition Change Process Scale (Cronbach's α = 0.90). We gathered data on weight, height, and changes in eating habits during the pandemic to analyze how the pandemic affected dietary and nutritional practices. RESULTS: The majority of respondents were female (67.7%). Most respondents (58%) reported changing their eating and nutritional habits during the pandemic. Economic concern and concern about finding food and water due to COVID-19 were found to affect changes in eating and dietary habits (odds ratio [OR]: 2.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69-3.84; P < 0.001 and OR: 2.1; 95% CI, 1.39-3.18; P < 0.001, respectively). Losing a loved one because of COVID-19 was determined as an independent risk factor for eating and dietary habits (OR: 29.5; 95% CI, 2.23-38.9; P = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived stress and emotional eating are related to changes in eating/dietary habits among health care workers during the pandemic. We recommend healthy food choices and increased physical activity to reduce emotional eating and mitigate stress.

Boredom, interoceptive ability, and emotional eating

Emotional eating is a commonly described phenomenon reported by individuals across the weight spectrum. Not only does existing evidence suggest it is not an effective emotion regulation strategy, but emotional eating is also associated with difficulty losing weight during weight loss interventions and other negative health outcomes. The majority of existing work in the area of emotional eating has focused on the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Yet, there are data suggesting that different emotions appear to produce different changes in eating behaviors, suggesting the importance of investigating the influence of discrete emotions on eating. The lack of understanding regarding eating in response to boredom in particular, is a major gap in the current literature. Moreover, little is known about individual characteristics that could make some individuals more vulnerable to "bored eating." Given data suggesting interoception as central to other forms of dysregulated eating, as well as its theoretical relevance, the current study focused on interoceptive ability as a vulnerability factor for bored eating. Utilizing an experimental design, Study 1 examined boredom as a trigger of snacking behaviors in a laboratory setting. Due to COVID-19, data collection was terminated early, but preliminary results provided tentative support for a causal role of boredom in food consumption. Study 2 was a cross-sectional, correlational extension of Study 1. Consistent with predictions, Study 2 found that boredom proneness was a significant predictor of emotional eating, even when accounting for the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Inconsistent with hypotheses, the association between boredom proneness and emotional eating was not moderated by interoception. Findings have implications for the prevention and treatment of emotional eating. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Relationship between Mental Health and Emotional Eating during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

Obesity is one of the most dangerous epidemics of the 21st century. In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic began and caused many deaths among patients with obesity with and without complications. Simultaneously, the lockdown related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a host of emotional problems including anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. Many people began to cope with their emotions by increasing food (emotional eating) and alcohol consumption and in combination with decreased physical activity, promoted the development of overweight and obesity. Emotional eating, also known as stress eating, is defined as the propensity to eat in response to positive and negative emotions and not physical need. It should be noted that emotional eating may be the first step in the development of binge eating disorder and its extreme subtypes such as food addiction. Interestingly in some post-bariatric surgery patients, an increased frequency of addictive disorders has been observed, for example food addiction replaced by alcohol addiction called: "cross addiction" or "addiction transfer". This data indicates that obesity should be treated as a psychosomatic disease, in the development of which external factors causing the formation of negative emotions may play a significant role. Currently, one of these factors is the COVID-19 pandemic. This manuscript discusses the relationships between the COVID-19 pandemic and development of emotional eating as well as potential implications of the viral pandemic on the obesity pandemic, and the need to change the approach to the treatment of obesity in the future.