The relationship of eating time, eating behavior and sleep quality in adolescents with obesity during the COVID-19 outbreak

Obesity is rapidly increasing in adolescent individuals, and factors underlying this condition, such as sleep quality, duration and eating behavior changes, are gaining importance. The aim of the study is to reveal the relationship between eating time, eating behavior and sleep quality and obesity of adolescent individuals who were subject to confinement during the Covid-19 epidemic. In the research conducted with 162 volunteer participants (120 girls, 42 boys) between the ages of 12-18 living in Izmir, data were collected by survey technique. Questionnaire; It consists of 8 sections: Personal Information, General Health Status, Anthropometric Measurements, Nutritional Habits, Physical Activity Status, Three-Factor Eating Test, Sleep Quality Scale and Sleep Variables Questionnaire. As a result, BMI values before and after the pandemic were generally in the 5-85 percentile and 85-95 percentile groups, and it was determined that they didn't differ according to gender. It was concluded that the majority of the participants had regular weekday and weekend meals. It was observed that there was only a very weak positive relationship (r=0.000) between the BMI of individuals with ≥95. percentile and lunch time. It was found that there was a very weak negative (r=-0.046) relationship between sleep quality and BMI before the pandemic, and a very weak positive relationship (r=0.035) after the pandemic. Among eating behaviors, it was observed that there was only a very weak positive relationship (r=0.032) between pre-pandemic BMI and the level of conscious eating restriction. It was concluded that there is a very weak positive relationship (r=0.016) between body weight change and sleep quality. It was determined that there was a moderate positive relationship between sleep quality score and uncontrolled eating level, emotional eating level and hunger sensitivity level for each of them (r=0.560, r=0.528, r=0.569) and a weak positive relationship between conscious eating restriction and eating habits (r=0.435). According to the results of the study, it is recommended to establish quality sleep and nutrition habits and increase physical activity to prevent obesity in adolescents.