RESUMO
We aimed to evaluate the changes in eating behaviours of the adult population across 16 European countries due to the COVID-19 confinement and to evaluate whether these changes were somehow related to the severity of the containment measures applied in each country. An anonymous online self-reported questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, validated 14-items Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) Adherence Screener (MEDAS) as a reference of a healthy diet, eating and lifestyle behaviours prior to and during the COVID-19 confinement was used to collect data. The study included an adult population residing in 16 European countries at the time of the survey. Aggregated Stringency Index (SI) score, based on data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, was calculated for each country at the time the questionnaire was distributed (range: 0-100). A total of 36,185 participants completed the questionnaire (77.6% female, 75.2% with high educational level and 42.7% aged between 21 and 35 years). In comparison to pre-confinement, a significantly higher adherence to the MedDiet during the confinement was observed across all countries (overall MEDAS score prior to- and during confinement: 5.23 ± 2.06 vs. 6.15 ± 2.06; p < 0.001), with the largest increase seen in Greece and North Macedonia. The highest adherence to MedDiet during confinement was found in Spain and Portugal (7.18 ± 1.84 and 7.34 ± 1.95, respectively). Stricter contingency restrictions seemed to lead to a significantly higher increase in the adherence to the MedDiet. The findings from this cross-sectional study could be used to inform current diet-related public health guidelines to ensure optimal nutrition is followed among the population, which in turn would help to alleviate the current public health crisis.
RESUMO
Researchers have reported that issues of dietary habits have important roles in cancer prevention and development, and during cancer treatments. Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may improve the quality of life in cancer patients. However, use of some CAM types can increase or reduce the effect of treatments. This study aims to perform the nutritional assessment and usage of CAM in patients with cancer who received radiotherapy or chemotherapy (CT). Outpatients cancer patients (n = 273) receiving CT or radiotherapy in a hospital of private university were asked to complete the questionnaire including 24-hour dietary recall and usage of CAM. Obtained data were analyzed using BeBIS and SPSS software. Patients with different cancer types participated in this study. The difference for obesity rate was significantly between the patients receiving chemotherapy (44%) and radiotherapy (38%) (P = .001). Total energy and calories obtained from carbohydrates and lipids were also statistically significant between 2 groups (P = .001). Usage of CAM was significantly found in both groups (P = .001). Preference rate for the herbal CAM usage was 59% in radiotherapy and 22% in CT groups. Our results suggest that cancer patients may require professional support and practice for nutrition and use of CAM before they start their therapies.