Impact of COVID-19 Curfew on Eating Habits, Eating Frequency, and Weight According to Food Security Status in Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study

Background/Aim: Nutritional and lifestyle changes resulting from the implementation of the coronavi-rus disease (COVID-19) curfew could have detrimental effects on individuals' nutritional health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 curfew on eating habits, eating frequency, and weight according to food security status in Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods: This retrospective study included 879 participants who were recruited via an online questionnaire. Data on demographics, food security status (via the Food Insecurity Experience Scale), and changes in eating habits, eating frequency, and weight before and during the curfew were collected. Results: Changes in eating habits (mealtime and daily number of meals) during the curfew were more common among severely food-insecure participants. Having more time to cook was the reason for changes in eating habits in food-secure and mildly food-insecure participants, while anxiety related to food availabil-ity caused changes in eating habits in all food-insecure groups. Food unavailability was frequently reported among severely food-insecure participants. Food insecurity did not affect eating frequency during the curfew. However, food-secure participants had higher eating frequency of fruits, savory snacks, and sweets/candies (p = 0.000 for all). Weight increased significantly during the curfew in the food-secure and mildly food-insecure groups (0.98 kg, p=0.004, and 0.56 kg, p=0.014, respectively). Conclusions: Eating frequency of food between meals increased among food-secure participants during the COV-ID-19 curfew. Health organizations should emphasize via social media the importance of avoiding overcon-sumption of foods, promoting positive eating habits, and increasing physical activity during the curfew to maintain health and prevent weight gain.