Associations of sedentary behaviours and incidence of unhealthy diet during the COVID-19 quarantine in Brazil

Objective: Our aim was to analyse the association of change patterns on TV-viewing and computer/tablet use and incidence of elevated consumption of ultra-processed food consumption and lower consumption of fruits and vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Data of 39 208 Brazilian adults from a Behaviour Web Survey were used. Unhealthy nutrition habits were eating fruits or vegetables for <5 d/week and ultra-processed food (sugary foods, snacks, ready-to-eat frozen foods and embedded foods) for >= 5 d/week. For incidence indicators, we only considered participants without unhealthy behaviour before the quarantine. We created four categories of change in TV-viewing and computer/tablet use, considering a cut-off point of 4 h/d for each behaviour (1 - consistently low, 2 - become low during the quarantine, 3 - become high during the quarantine or 4 - consistently high). Analyses were adjusted for sex, age group, highest academic achievement, per capita income, working status during the quarantine, skin colour and adherence to the quarantine. Setting: Brazil. Participants: Brazilian adults (nationally representative). Results: Logistic regression models revealed that high TV-viewing and computer/tablet use incidence were associated with higher odds for elevated frequency of ultra-processed food consumption (TV-viewing: OR 1 center dot 70; 95 % CI 1 center dot 37, 2 center dot 12; computer/tablet: OR 1 center dot 73; 95 % CI 1 center dot 31, 2 center dot 27) and low consumption of fruit and vegetables (TV-viewing: OR 1 center dot 70; 95 % CI 1 center dot 29, 2 center dot 23; computer/tablet: OR 1 center dot 53; 95 % CI 1 center dot 08, 2 center dot 17) incidence. Consistent high computer/tablet use also presented higher odds for incidence of elevated frequency of ultra-processed food consumption. Conclusions: Participants with incidence of sedentary behaviours were also more likely to present incidence of unhealthy diet during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine.

Automated summary

The study found that high frequency of TV-viewing and computer/tablet use during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in consumption of ultra-processed food and a decrease in fruit and vegetable consumption. Participants with sedentary behaviors during the quarantine period were more likely to exhibit unhealthy dietary habits during the COVID-19 pandemic.