Research
Macro partitioning
Lockdown led to a shift towards 'Western-type' and 'Free Sugars' dietary patterns, characterized by increased consumption of sweets, salty snacks, and energy drinks, and decreased consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Be mindful of your food choices during stressful times. The study found that lockdown often leads to increased consumption of sweets, salty snacks, and sugary drinks, while decreasing fruit and vegetable intake. Try to maintain a balance and prioritize whole foods.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The first pattern explained 31% of eating variation and was named “Western-type diet” since it was characterized by significantly positive loadings in dairy, meat, sweets, salted foods and vegetables. The second pattern explained 16% of the variance and loaded positively with ssbs and energy drinks and negatively on fruits and vegetables. Therefore, it was named “Free Sugars diet”.
Why this rating
Cross-sectional, self-reported food frequency.
Source
Eating Habits and Lifestyle during COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study
Leila Cheikh Ismail et al. · Nutrients · 2020
DOI 10.3390/nu12113314
cross_sectional · n=1012Cited 257×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- COVID-19 lockdowns and associated lifestyle restrictions in the UAE caused significant negative shifts in dietary patterns, physical activity, and psychological well-being, leading to weight gain and increased stress.Moderate
- Increased screen time and sedentary behavior during lockdown are associated with higher rates of weight gain and poor sleep quality.Moderate
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