Evaluation of Factors Affecting Body Weight Increase During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Turkish Population

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dietary behaviour, food choices, physical activity level and body weight of Turkish citizens living in Turkey and Turkish immigrants living in the United States of America (USA) and Europe.

Subjects and Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted online. Data were collected through social media platforms using snowball sampling method. In the online questionnaire, the participants were asked questions about their socio-demographic information, self-reported anthropometric measurement values, lifestyles, eating habits and food consumption preferences. A total of 1578 Turkish citizens, including 764 people from Turkey, 509 people from the USA and 305 people from Europe (Germany: 204 people; England: 101 people) were included in the study.

Results: 59.5% of the participants living in Turkey, 58.3% of the participants living in the USA and 52.5% of the Turkish immigrants living in Europe stated that they experienced an increase in body weight during the pandemic period compared the pre-pandemic period. Decreased physical activity level was found to be an important risk factor for body weight gain in all regions. In Turkey [ORadj=5.61 (2.09-15.05), p=0.001] and the USA [ORadj=3.60 (1.26-5.94), p=0.016], the increase in portion sizes led to body weight gain, whereas in Europe, the increase in the frequency of thinking about food [ORadj=3.12 (1.36-7.17), p=0.007] was found to be an important factor for weight gain. It was found that the food group whose consumption increased the most in all regions during the pandemic was the seeds.

Conclusion: The results of this study show that there were significant changes in body weights, dietary habits, and physical activity levels of Turkish citizens living in Turkey and in different countries pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to protect public health, improve and prevent nutrition-related diseases, special guidance and support services should be provided and monitored for different groups and immigrants.