Published Paper Details:

Working from home (WFH) is becoming new norm nowadays. WFH designates a worker who is not working from an office, but rather from their home or apartment. Working from home has several positive aspects and negative aspects. Work hours limit a person's daily routine, which in turn affects their eating patterns, including when they eat and when they skip meals. Despite the advantages of work from home, many adults' especially young adults, do not consistently engage in healthy eating habits. The objectives of the study were i) To asses dietary pattern during work from home individuals. ii)To estimate the somatic status of the subjects. A total of 100 subjects were selected for this study who are working from home between the age group 21-50 years. The subjects were based on purposive random sampling and were given a semi structured questionnaire to elicit the dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, physical activity and health status of them. The data was then analyzed statistically. The results showed that the majority of the respondents were from the age group 21-30 years, with a good educational background and with a good socio-economic status. Majority of them were non vegetarians and inclined to consume three meals per day. Majority of them consumed snacks and skipped meals once day. Majority of the respondents consumed food from outside more than once a week. Most of the respondents preferred to cook food at home while also having major barriers such as lack of time, cost of ingredients and varied taste preferences in order to consume fruits and vegetables. Majority of them were physically active and nearly half of the respondents were in the normal category of BMI, while nearly half of them are overweight or pre obese. Female respondents were at the increased risk abdominal obesity compared to males. Majority of the respondents slept for seven to eight hours per day and few of them noticed positive and negative changes in their health status. As majority of the respondents were young adults, their improper dietary habits may contribute as a major risk for various diseases. The consumption of food outside home should be reduced to avoid health consequences. Nearly half of the respondents' BMI was found to be in overweight and pre obese category which can contribute to diabetes, hypertension, cardio vascular disease, obesity etc. Awareness needs to be created regarding healthy eating practices, regular physical activity and reduction in consuming foods outside to avoid the major health consequences in later life.