Body mass index, eating habits, and various lifestyle changes in young adults during the two years of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Background: The aim of this study was to find out the perceived impact of 2 years of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on various lifestyle behaviors (LSBs) and changes and their effect on body mass index (BMI) of young Saudi adults.

Materials and methods: This was a descriptive exploratory study conducted in January 2022 on 1724 students (aged 16-21 years) from multiple colleges of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The main tools of the study were: BMI and an online 30-item LSB and changes structured questionnaire, which assessed LSB and perceived changes, 1 month immediately preceding and 2 years after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Results: Our study results showed that 48% of the subjects gained weight after the pandemic. Screen time (ST) increased from 6.8 h before pandemic to 9.2 h/24 h after pandemic outbreak (P < 0.0001). However, no significant association was observed between excessive ST and increased BMI. A significant decrease in physical activity was seen after the outbreak (P < 0.001), which was positively but insignificantly associated with increased BMI (P = 0.3). A significant increase in the frequency of food intake was observed; 18.7% of the subjects reported taking ≥ 4 meals/day before the epidemic compared to 32.1% during the pandemic (P = 0.001). Decreased intake of homemade food, increased intake of junk food, and increased number of the meals/day were significantly related with increased BMI (P < 0.05). The strongest risk factor for increased BMI after the outbreak of the pandemic was ≥4 meals/day (OR=1.6; P = 0.048).

Conclusion: After 2 years of the pandemic, 48% of the young adults perceived they had gained weight, which was strongly associated with self-reported increase in the number of meals/day (≥4). These observations could aid the development of nutritional recommendations to maintain the health of young adults during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.