Changes in Eating Behaviour during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic among the Inhabitants of Five European Countries

Psychological factors and restrictions imposed due to the pandemic may influence eating behaviours and physical activity. With the above thesis in mind, questionnaire-based surveys were conducted amongst residents of five European countries: Poland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Great Britain (England and Scotland). A specially devised, structured questionnaire was used to conduct anonymous internet surveys between 28 April and 16 July 2020. It contained questions pertaining to sociodemographic data, eating behaviours, the impact of the pandemic on the diet and physical activity. The questionnaire was made available to internet users in Poland, Italy, Spain, Great Britain (England and Scotland), and Portugal. The questionnaire was translated by native speakers into five languages: Polish, English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Survey results were then analysed using StatSoft’s Statistica v. 13 software and Cytel’s StatXact v. 9.0.0. Age was the parameter that impacted changing eating behaviours to the largest extent during the pandemic. It was also found that during the pandemic, regular consumption of meals was most dependent on various factors. The negative impact of the pandemic within this scope was most profound amongst women, city residents regardless of gender and people over 35 years of age. A change in the frequency of consumption of selected product groups during the pandemic was also observed. Reduced consumption of meat and fish was identified. Especially among people under 35 living in Portugal, almost half—45.5% (p = 0.0210) declared lower consumption of meat, and more than half—54.5% (p = 0.011) reported lower consumption of fish. An analysis of the obtained results also showed an increase in the consumption of products with lower nutritional values, particularly amongst people under 35 years of age and also amongst residents of Great Britain (regardless of age). Moreover, the results showed that the pandemic may have had an impact on the weight reduction diet. A negative impact was declared by 16.5% of people, compared to 9.7% who said that the pandemic facilitated the use of the weight reduction diet (p = 0.006). The results of our survey also showed a decrease in the level of physical activity among people over 35 living in Poland (69.6%, p = 0.0497) and people living in Portuguese cities (72.73%, p = 0.0245). Our survey results showed that the impact of the pandemic on eating behaviours was particularly profound when it came to meal consumption regularity. Changes to the consumption of products with lower nutritional values, which may decrease immunity, have also been found during the pandemic. Our results showed that the problem associated with consuming products with lower nutritional values was particularly evident amongst people under 35. Considering the global character of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, further research is necessary to determine its impact on the diet, nutritional status and physical activity.