Prevalence of food addiction and its association with anxiety, depression, and adherence to social distancing measures in Brazilian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide study.

The study's objective was to determine the prevalence of food addiction (FA) in Brazilian university students and to verify whether there is an association with anxiety, depression, and adherence to the social distancing measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a nationwide cross-sectional study carried out through the application of online questionnaires. Self-reported data on age, sex, economic class, race/skin color, anthropometric data, depression diagnosis, anxiety, modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0), and adherence to social distancing measures were collected. 5368 participants were included, with a mean age was 24.1 ± 6.3 years, the majority were female (n = 3990; 74.3%), and the mean BMI in our sample was 24.5 ± 5.3 kg/m2. The prevalence of FA was 19.1% (95%CI: 18.0; 20.0%). An association was observed between FA with depression (PR: 1.60; 95%CI: 1.43; 1.78; p < 0.01), and anxiety (3.13; 95%CI: 2.74; 3.58; p < 0.01), but not with adherence to social distancing measures (p = 0.70). In conclusion, there was a higher prevalence of FA in Brazilian university students. Besides, university students with anxiety, depression, overweight, or obesity and females are more prone to FA.Level of evidence Level V, Opinions of authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.

Racial Differences in Generalized Anxiety Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic among Brazilian University Students: a National Survey.

There is evidence that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in anxiety and depression rates among college students. However, little is known about how generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) developed among individuals of different race/skin color. This study aimed to determine whether there are racial differences in GAD in Brazilian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a nationwide cross-sectional study, carried out through the application of online questionnaires to university students from 94 Brazilian universities. Self-reported data on age, sex, economic class, race/skin color, anthropometric data, and adherence to social distancing measures were collected. To determine the GAD, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale was applied. A total of 5879 participants were included, with a mean age of 24.1 ± 6.4 years, and the majority were female (n = 4324, 73.5%), most self-declared to be whites (n = 2945, 50.1%), followed by browns (n = 2185, 37.2%) and blacks (n = 749, 12.7%). The prevalence of GAD among black Brazilian university students (47.3% [95% CI 43.7, 50.8]) was significantly higher than that of browns (38.6% [95% CI 36.6, 40.7]) and whites (44.1% [95% CI 42.3, 45.9]), even after multivariable adjustment by other sociodemographic factors. The findings of the present study suggest a possible racial difference in GAD among Brazilian university students, in which those who declared their race/skin color as black showed a greater risk for GAD than those who declared themselves as white or brown.

Effects of time-restricted feeding on body weight, body composition and vital signs in low-income women with obesity: A 12-month randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Time-restricted feeding (TRF) studies usually are of short-term, involving heterogeneous populations, without a control group with similar energy restriction. Besides, it seldom assess vital signs such as body temperature and heart rate, which may be influenced by the fasting state. In this investigation, we assessed the long-term effects of TRF on body weight, body composition and vital signs of low-income women with obesity undergoing diets with the same energy deficit. METHODS: Low-income women with obesity were randomly allocated to a group with a hypoenergetic diet and 12 h of TRF or to a group with only a hypoenergetic diet, for 12 months. Body fat and waist circumference were estimated using a tetrapolar electrical bioimpedance and an inelastic measuring tape, respectively, at baseline and after 4, 6 and 12 months of intervention. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and axillary temperature were measured at baseline and 12 months of intervention. The energy content of the diets was determined based on the women's resting metabolic rate (by indirect calorimetry) and level of physical activity (by triaxial accelerometers). Effects were analyzed using an intention-to-treat approach. RESULTS: Fifty-eight women were randomized and 31 (53.44%) were lost to follow-up at 12 months. Dropout rates were similar between groups. In the intention-to-treat analysis, there were no significant changes in the body weight after 12 months (Differences in changes from baseline between groups: -0.05 95%CI [-2.34; 2.24] Kg; p = 0.96). An increase in axillary temperature (0.40 °C, 95% CI [-0.14; 0.67]°C, p < 0.01), a reduction in the percentage of body fat (-1.64%, 95% CI [-3.08; -0.19]%, p = 0.02) and waist circumference (-2.57 cm, 95% CI [-5.73; 0.58] cm, p = 0.03 in the mixed model involving 4 measurements) were observed in the intervention group, when compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: TRF showed no effects on weight loss. Nevertheless the findings on waist circumference and body fat, although not clinically meaningful, suggest that this strategy may help in the long-term management of obesity in this population, since it is an easy to apply intervention. Axillary temperature findings warrants further investigation. Registered under www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br Identifier no. RBR-387v6v. TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-387v6v/.