The Impact of the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Eating Symptoms and Dysfunctional Eating Behaviours in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Rubinia Celeste Bonfanti; Lucia Sideli; Arianna Teti; Alessandro Musetti; Stefania Cella; Nadia Barberis; Bianca Borsarini; Lucia Fortunato; Cristina Sechi; Nadia Micali; Gianluca Lo Coco

doi:10.3390/nu15163607

The Impact of the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Eating Symptoms and Dysfunctional Eating Behaviours in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Nutrients. 2023 Aug 17;15(16):3607. doi: 10.3390/nu15163607.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy.
² Department of Human Science, LUMSA University, 00193 Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
⁴ Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy.
⁵ Observatory on Eating Disorders, Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100 Caserta, Italy.
⁶ Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
⁷ Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Eating Disorders Research Unit, Psychiatric Centre Ballerup, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark.
⁸ Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the prevalence of feeding and eating disorder (FED) symptoms or dysfunctional eating behaviours (DEB) in the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Method: We searched eligible articles in biomedical databases from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2022. Prevalence rates of FED or DEB changes between pre-pandemic and pandemic time and correlation with psychological distress were pooled with a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was tested using I-squared (I²) statistics. A total of 186 studies with 406,076 participants met the inclusion criteria.

Results: The more prevalent FED or DEB during the COVID-19 outbreak were: body image concerns (52%, 95% CI 0.38, 0.66), binge eating (40%, 95% CI 0.25, 0.55), and overeating (40%, 95% CI = 0.32-0.48). Pooled data of longitudinal studies (k = 8) only showed a significant difference in the prevalence of weight gain from pre-pandemic to the pandemic time. Finally, increased levels of psychological distress (k = 35) positively correlated with some ED symptoms.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis evidenced a negative impact of the pandemic on eating symptoms and DEB in the general population.

Keywords: COVID-19; dysfunctional eating behaviours; eating disorders; general population; meta-analysis; systematic review.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review
Review

MeSH terms

Binge-Eating Disorder*
Body Image
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Feeding Behavior
Humans
Pandemics

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.