Changes in patterns of eating habits and food intake during the first German COVID-19 lockdown : results of a cross-sectional online survey

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic and public measures have a direct impact on the nutrition situation; studies show changes in food consumption, eating behavior or body weight but complex pattern analyses of changes rarely exist. Methods During the first German lockdown, a web-based survey was conducted among adults. It included 33 questions about changes in food intake, eating habits and physical activity, as well as anthropometrics and sociodemographic factors. Patterns of change were calculated based on changes in food intake and eating habits using two-step cluster analysis. To identify influencing factors for assignment to the patterns of change, binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Data from 2103 participants (81% female, 40 ± 14 years) were considered for analysis. Increased stockpiling, cooking, and variation in preparation was reported by 50–70%. The constant pattern (C-P, 36%) reported little change besides the above. The health-oriented pattern (HO-P; 37%) reported eating more healthy foods, avoiding unhealthy foods, and eating less and less frequently. The emotional-driven pattern (ED-P; 28%) exhibits higher influence of emotions on eating behavior, less avoidance of unhealthy foods, and increased consumption of sweets, pastries, and alcohol. The odds of changing eating behavior either to HO-P or ED-P were higher in women, people with migration background, younger participants, and increased with BMI categories. Conclusion Both, the ED-P and HO-P, exhibit distinctive reactions in eating habits and food intake when dealing with a distressing experience. In subgroups, these may lead to disturbances in eating behavior and increase the risk for eating disorders and obesity.