The Relationship between Adults' Perceptions, Attitudes of COVID-19, Intuitive Eating, and Mindful Eating Behaviors

Ecol Food Nutr. 2022 Jan-Feb;61(1):90-109. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2021.1968849. Epub 2021 Aug 26.

Abstract

In total, 1224 Turkish adults (27.5 ± 9.6 years; 80.6% female) answered sociodemographic questions, and three instruments: Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), and COVID-19 Perception and Attitude Scale. Women's perceptions and attitudes toward COVID-19 indicated higher concerns than men (p < .001). It was found that IES-2 scores of all subjects increased as body mass index (BMI) decreased and education level increased (p < .001; p = .033, respectively). During the social isolation of COVID-19, the MEQ scores of married couples and those who did not eat take-out foods were higher (p = .027; p = .006, respectively). Interestingly, it was found that as the BMI of the subjects increased, their MEQ scores increased (p < .001). The COVID-19 pandemic, which has social and economic consequences, has a great impact on human health and causes sudden lifestyle changes through social distance and isolation at home. Although social isolation during the epidemic is a necessary precaution to protect public health, the results of this study support that it causes changes in intuitive eating, and mindful eating behaviors.

Keywords: Attitude; COVID-19; intuitive eating; mindful eating; mindfulness.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attitude
  • COVID-19*
  • Eating
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pandemics
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Surveys and Questionnaires