Changes in patterns of take-away food ordering among youths before and after COVID-19 lockdown in China: the COVID-19 Impact on Lifestyle Change Survey (COINLICS).

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The lockdown due to COVID-19 may have led to changes in food ordering patterns among youths, which could affect their dietary patterns and the operation of the restaurant industry. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on patterns of take-away food ordering among youth in China. METHODS: The COVID-19 Impact on Lifestyle Change Survey (COINLICS) was conducted among youths at three educational levels (high or vocational school, college, and graduate school) in China in early May 2020. Information on patterns of take-away food ordering in the months immediately before and after the COVID-19 lockdown period (23 January to 8 April 2020) was collected through an online questionnaire survey. RESULTS: A total of 10,082 participants were included in the analysis. Participants ordering food more than once per week dropped from 15.4 to 9.2%, while 81.1% of participants have never ordered food at both time points. Graduate students, although experiencing a decrease in food ordering for more than once per week (from 33.3 to 10.7%), were more likely to order food compared to undergraduate and high school students. A slight increase was observed for ordering fried food or hamburgers and for breakfast and midnight snacks. CONCLUSIONS: The youth have generally ordered take-away food less frequently after COVID-19 lockdown, and the times and types of ordering have both changed. These findings would contribute solid evidence to the current knowledge pool for reference of health promotion communities to keep youth's lifestyles healthy and of the restaurant industry to achieve more cost-effective operation in China during future health emergencies.