Use of Food Consumption Score and Dietary Diversity Score as indicators to compare the nutritional status, dietary diversity, and potential risk of micro-nutrient deficiencies among young and middle-aged adults, pre and during COVID times

Poor food choices involvinglow diversity among food groups pose a threat to the overall health of aperson. Adults are favoring energy-dense foods more due to palatability andcost-effectiveness, but in the process, are raising the likelihood ofdevelopment of metabolic disorders, while also consuming insufficientmicronutrients and thus increasing the risk of developing deficiencies. Thepossibility that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected these preferences will be probed into in this study. The Dietary Diversity Score is an effectivemeans of determining these changes in consumption patterns, and the FoodConsumption Score will provide more detail regarding these changes. Additionally, any changes in the consumption of common immune-boosting foodssuch as citrus fruits and spices owing to the pandemic will also be assessed. A pre-validated semi-structured online questionnaire to collectinformation regarding personal history, socio-demographic status, basic medicalhistory, food consumption patterns, and knowledge, attitude, and practicesrelated to immune-boosting foods will be sent to the participants using various social media platforms.