Prevalence Of Night Eating Syndrome Among Young Adults During COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Night Eating Syndrome (NES) among overweight and obese people is an eating disorder. NES is explained as the repeated episodes of excessive consumption of food mostly following the evening meal or after awakening during the night. Nevertheless, up to date, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis on eating behaviours during lockdown is largely understudied. Objectives: To study the prevalence of Night Eating Syndrome among young adults during COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This retrospective e-study was conducted after obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee, among 321 young adults aged between 18 and 25 years. Prevalence and the severity of NES was screened by the National Eating Questionnaire (NEQ).  Mann Whitney U test was used to compare the mean NEQ scores, and the data was analysed using SPSS 27.  A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of the 321 participants who voluntarily participated in the study, 154 were males and 167 were females.13.39% (n=43) consume greater than 25% of their daily intake after suppertime. Our study showed 11.8% of participants were found to have night eating syndrome (NEQ ≥25). Out of these 38 participants, 13.65% (n=21) were male and 10.18% (n=17) were females. Conclusion: Night Eating Syndrome was seen in young adults and more in the males. During, covid 19 pandemic, home confinement imposed by mandatory lockdown, might have prompted the increase of food availability and generalized disorganized eating patterns.