Eating behavior of workers in brazilian public hospitals during COVID-19

Abstract

The stress and anxiety conditions faced by hospital workers in the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to trigger changes in eating behavior. The objective of this study was to analyze the eating behavior of health workers in public hospitals and its associated factors during the pandemic state. This is a multicenter study conducted with workers from 14 Brazilian public hospitals, distributed in all regions of the country. Data collection took place online between September 2020 and January 2021. Socioeconomic and demographic variables, work aspects, lifestyle habits, health conditions, quality of life, and eating behavior were evaluated. A total of 1143 workers participated in the study, mainly women and with a high level of education. Individuals who did not have weight change and who improved their food quality during the pandemic had better eating behavior scores. Eating behavior was directly associated with age, skin color, work shift, regular physical activity, profession as a nutritionist, and quality of life, and inversely associated with transportation to work, use of alcohol and anxiolytics, and body mass index.