Prevalence of Food Addiction during Covid-19 Pandemic in Amman, Jordan: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: Emerging evidence highlights the impact of stressful conditions on eating behaviours, particularly the consumption of foods high in salt, sugar and fat. The impact of the Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on food addiction is still un-estimated. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of food addiction among the Jordanian population during the quarantine. Materials and methods: A Cross-sectional study has been conducted between the 27th of April and the 4th of June of 2020. An online survey of Yale food addiction scale v.2.0 (YFAS 2.0) was distributed. A convenience sample was collected through social media sites. Differences in socio-demographic characteristics were analysed using t-test and chi-square tests. Food addiction was classified based on the scoring scale. Determinants of food addition were predicted by using multivariate logistic regression. Results: The results revealed that the prevalence of food addiction was 21.5% among adults. Among food addiction participants, 76.4% were diagnosed as severely food addicted. More than 50% of the participants reported high consumption of foods rich in sugar, salt, and fat (48.2%, 51.8%, and 52.5%, respectively). Overweight and obese young adults were more likely to have food addiction compared to normal weight. The multinominal logistic regression model revealed that there was no determinants of food addiction among adults. Conclusion: During the first months of the quarantine, the prevalence of food addiction was higher among obese and overweight adults compared to normal-weight adults.