Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction

Internet searches mirror – to a degree – real-life behaviors and are influenced by chronic situations or abrupt events. From 2019 onwards the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed profoundly daily habits, particularly during periods of protracted lockdown and following stay-at-home orders.

Aim

In this study we aimed to assess Google Trends internet searches for diet and obesity over time and vis-à-vis searches for COVID-19 in Greece (GR; a typical mediterranean country) and Lithuania (LT; a typical northern European country); both countries have comparable per capita income and Gini indexes (measuring income inequality).

Methods

We collected data on Google Trends internet searches (by means of relative search volumes; RSVs) in GR and LT regarding ’diet/obesity’ and ’coronavirus/COVID-19’ (in English, Lithuanian and Greek) from 2016 onwards. Statistical assessment was done with analysis of covariance, linear regression, evaluation of autocorrelation and cross correlation.

Results

A positive time trend – particularly in 2020 – was noted for RSVs regarding ’diet’ both in LT and GR (in English), whereas a negative time trend was noted regarding ’dieta = diet’ and ’nutukimas = obesity’ (in Lithuanian). The periodicity of RSVs did not reach statistical significance. Searches regarding ’diet’ and ’obesity’ were positively correlated in LT and GR. Mostly negative cross-correlations regarding RSVs for ’diet/obesity’ and ’coronavirus/COVID-19’ were noted in both countries, with the exception for searches regarding ’nutukimas = obesity’ vs ’COVID-19’ in LT (r at lag 0 = +0.341, P = 0.013).

Discussion

Being locked in at home is stressful and with limited physical activity. Comfort food consumption and increased food intake were reported during lockdown for COVID-19; this may lead to weight gain. More than half of the population in GR and LT are overweight or obese. Our results show a growing interest for diets over time (that was not necessarily coupled with an interest in obesity) which was dampened to a degree by searches for COVID-19. Other factors – that were not assessed here – may also play a role: in Asia, a study has shown national Google Trends internet searches for diet and obesity to reflect the country’s economic indices; this finding was subsequently not verified in GR.