Investigation of nutritional status, fear and anxiety levels of adults aged 18-64 living in Adana province during the pandemic (COVİD-19) period

This research; It was planned and conducted in order to examine the nutritional status of adults between the ages of 18-64, their anxiety levels due to Covid-19 and the use of nutritional support during the pandemic period. The study was carried out with a total of 260 volunteers, 83 female and 177 male, aged between 18-64 years living in Adana between February 2021 and December 2021. In the study, individuals were asked to fill out a questionnaire online, including demographic characteristics, health information, nutritional habits, nutritional support usage status, anthropometric measurements (body weight and height), food consumption frequency, Covid-19 Anxiety Scale, Covid-19 Fear Scale. Body Mass Index (BMI) of individuals before and during the pandemic were calculated. The mean age of the women participating in the study was 35.89 ± 10.63 years, and the mean age of the men was 42.58 ± 9.2 years. The mean age in the sample is 40.45 ± 10.15 years. Before the pandemic, the proportion of individuals consuming 2 main meals in the order of the pandemic increased (50.4% and 54.6%, respectively) while the proportion of individuals consuming 1 main meal (1.5% and 1.9%, respectively) and 3 main meals (48.1% and 43.5%, respectively) decreased (p<0.001). While the rate of individuals consuming 2 snacks before the pandemic compared to post-pandemic (21.9% and 30.4%, respectively), the proportion of individuals consuming 1 snack increased (40.4% and 35.4%, respectively). It is observed that the rate of physical activity and meal consumption out of the house decreased during the pandemic of the individuals participating in the study (p<0.001). While the majority of the participants (44.2%) stated that they ate out 1-3 times a week before the pandemic, they stated that they ate out once a aily r less during the pandemic (p<0.01). While the rate of using nutritional supplements was 14.2% before the pandemic, this rate increased to 33.1% during the pandemic (p<0.05). Vitamin C (8.5% to 20.0%), vitamin D (5.4% to 18.8%), multivitamin (2.7% to 8.1%), prebiotic/probiotic (1.2% to 3.1%) of the participants e) and vitamin B12 (from 2.7% to 8.1%) use increased during the pandemic compared aily -pandemic (p<0.05). Fibre (r=0.138 p=0.03), thiamine (r=0.187 p=0.002), folate (r=0.200 p=0.001), pantothenic acid (r=0.124 p=0.04), potassium (r=0.141 p=0.02) , magnesium (r=0.138 p=0.03) and zinc (r=0.129 p=0.04) intake and BMI during the pandemic were found to be positively correlated. A significant negative correlation was found between the percentage of aily energy taken from carbohydrates and the fear scale scores (r=-0.176 p=0.004). A positive and significant correlation was found between the percentage of aily energy intake obtained from fat, saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids and fear scale scores (r=0.200 p=0.001, r=0.205 p=0.001 and r=0.177 p=0.004). Adequate and balanced nutrition and the correct use of nutritional supplements are important in the Covid 19 period. Precautions should be taken to reduce the fear and anxiety levels of individuals during the Covid-19 period. Keywords: Covid-19, Nutrition, Pandemic, Nutritional Supplement, Anxiety