A comparison of chrononutrition profile, chrononutrition misalignment, dietary intake and obesity indicators in urban and rural adults residing in Delhi-NCR, India

Background Circadian misalignment is a known cause of various metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Chrononutrition (timing of meals) has garnered attention in identifying behaviours which lead to circadian misalignment. Urban and rural population have different lifestyle owing to their nature of work and physical environment. Objectives This cross-sectional analytical study aims to compare urban and rural population of Delhi- National Capital Region of India in chrononutrition profile, misalignment, dietary intake, obesity indicators and associated variables- chronotype, sleep efficiency, physical activity and energy intake. Materials and methods Participants (N=151, 75- urban, 76-rural) were recruited by convenience sampling. Data was collected by face-to-face interview using validated questionnaire. Results There was significant difference between the urban and rural groups in obesity indicators, chronotype, chrononutrition profile and physical activity status (p<0.001).