Snacking and settee or small dietetic "house" dishes: all French people did not experience confinement in the same way, shows a study which highlights the influence of the level of income, the presence of children in the home and working conditions.
In total, the restriction of movement, the closing of schools and many businesses and sometimes also the anxiety linked to the health crisis modified the diet and the level of physical activity of more than half of the participants (57.2 %), according to this study by the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (Eren), posted online on June 5 but not yet published.
Possible chronic pathologies
In a large third of respondents (37.4%), "confinement has caused (...) nutritional behaviors that are not favorable for health which, if maintained over the long term could increase the risk of chronic pathologies", conclude these researchers, according to responses from 37,000 participants in the large Nutrinet public health study.
In detail, 35% gained weight (1.8 kg on average between March and May), 53% decreased their physical activity, 23% increased their energy intake and 21% increased their snacking. This group also tended to consume more sweets, cookies and alcohol and less fresh produce, especially fruits and fish.
Participants with this profile were more often under the age of 50, women, with lower incomes, with children present at home, telecommuting during confinement, observe the researchers. "These changes seem to be linked to the loss of opportunities linked to confinement": closure of sports halls, restaurants and workplaces, and "limited access to usual food supply places", analyze the authors.
23% of respondents lost weight
For one in five study participants (19.8%), on the other hand, "confinement created the opportunity (...) to improve their nutritional behavior". 23% have lost weight (2 kg on average), 19% have increased their physical activity and 40% have spent more time cooking “home”. This profile is found more among people who are partially unemployed or telecommuting, with higher incomes, without children at home, and among people who are overweight or obese or with a diet of less nutritional quality before confinement.
The authors see in it “a favorable adaptation to the situation undertaken by individuals with more means and / or opportunities, and with more room for improvement in terms of nutrition, or even individuals concerned about their health and their risks in the face of Covid -19 ".
Finally, a third group (42% of participants) did not change their eating behavior, most often older people, having continued to work outside their home or already unemployed before confinement.
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