The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and food choice motives in the Iranian population

Abstract

Background and aim The long-term impact of COVID-19 on nutrition and community health is inevitably noticeable. These effects can change the nutritional behavior and lifestyle of survivors. Due to the COVID consequential fear and anxiety, the pandemic can alter the motivations for choosing, buying, and consuming food. The relationship between nutritional behavior and COVID-19 fear is the primary purpose of this research. Materials & methods This cross-sectional study was conducted via online and face-to-face surveys. Accessing participants was through health centers of Qazvin, Iran, and the selected centers were sampled by cluster sampling method. The study population included 331 adults aged 18 to 65. Data were collected in three sections using valid questionnaires. The Demographic Questionnaire, FCV-19S, and FCQ were used to gather demographic information, the level of fear caused by COVID-19, and food choice motivations, respectively. The statistical analyzes were performed using R software. Analysis of variance and linear regression methods were used to determine the effect of independent variables on dependent variables (p = 0.05). Results The mean score of fear of COVID-19 in the study population was 15.25 ± 5.78. Price, Mood, Natural content, Familiarity, Convenience, and Ethical concerns were significantly and positively associated with fear of COVID-19 (p<0.05). The only food motive significantly different than before during COVID-19 was Health, which was increased (p = 0.02). Sensory appeal and Health were the most important motivations for food choices before and during COVID-19. The Ethical concern was considered the least important food motivation. Discussion and conclusion Some food motivations were associated with fear of COVID-19, possibly due to their psychological nature. The increasing importance of the Health factor and Natural content motivations can relate to the advice of experts on the importance of eating healthy food to counteract COVID-19 and indicate people’s preference for this training.