How physical cues surrounding foods influence snack consumption: The case of covering foods

Abstract Objective: To assess food insecurity and its association with changes in nutritional habits among Belgian adults during confinement due to COVID-19. Design: Three cross-sectional online health surveys were conducted during March–May 2020. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine associations between self-reported changes in fruit, vegetable, soft drink and sweet and salted snack consumption or weight as dependent variables and food insecurity indicators as independent variables, adjusted for gender, household composition, educational attainment and household income. Setting: Belgium. Participants: In total, 8640 adults recruited by convenience sampling. Results: About 10·4 % of Belgians often or sometimes feared food shortages, 5·0 % were often or sometimes short of food without money to buy more and 10·3 % often or sometimes could not afford to eat a healthy diet during confinement. These percentages were highest among single-parent families (26·7, 14·4 and 23·4 %, respectively). Adults who often or sometimes feared that food would run out during confinement had significantly higher odds of decreased v. unchanged fruits (3·53; 95 % CI = 2·06, 6·05) and vegetables (5·42; 95 % CI = 2·90, 10·11) consumption and significantly higher odds of increased v. unchanged soft drink consumption (3·79; 95 % CI = 2·20, 6·54). Similar results were found for adults who often or sometimes ran out of food and for adults who often or sometimes were not able to afford a healthy diet. Conclusion: Food insecurity during the COVID-19 confinement measures in Belgium was associated with adverse changes in most dietary behaviours. A strong government response is needed to tackle malnutrition and food insecurity to protect public health from ongoing and future pandemics.

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Perseverative Cognition and Snack Choice: An Online Pilot Investigation

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs11030033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 33

Author(s):

Timothy M. Eschle ◽

Dane McCarrick

Keyword(s):

Food Choice ◽

Food Choices ◽

Risk Behaviours ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Perseverative Cognition ◽

Pilot Investigation ◽

Perseverative Thinking ◽

Snack Consumption ◽

Unhealthy Snacks

Perseverative cognition (PC), consisting of worry and rumination, has been consistently linked to a variety of poorer health outcomes, namely via the worsening of stress-induced health risk behaviours. However, research into PC and unhealthy food choice, a key health behaviour, still remains relatively unexplored. In the current pilot investigation, 284 participants were recruited to take part in an online food choice paradigm before completing the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and the Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI). As a reduced availability of unhealthy snacks has been shown to improve snack choice, participants were randomly allocated to either an even condition (a 3:3 ratio of ≤99 kcal and ≥199 kcal snacks) or an uneven condition (a 4:2 ratio in favour of ≤99 kcal snacks). It was hypothesized that higher levels of PC may predict greater instances of poorer snack choices across, or even within, this paradigm. Despite an increase availability of lower calorie snacks leading to a healthier snack choice, both state and trait PC measures did not significantly influence snack choice irrespective of this varying availability. Although, marginal trends were found for higher state PC and higher calorie crisp selections. The current pilot therefore adds to the growing literature advocating for the use of behavioural economic tactics to engender healthier food choices, yet further work is needed to unpick the mediating role of PC (and its components) in snack consumption paradigms.

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Physical cues of cell culture materials lead the direction of differentiation lineages of pluripotent stem cells

Journal of Materials Chemistry B ◽

10.1039/c5tb01276g ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (41) ◽

pp. 8032-8058 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Akon Higuchi ◽

Qing-Dong Ling ◽

S. Suresh Kumar ◽

Yung Chang ◽

Abdullah A. Alarfaj ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Cell Culture ◽

Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽

Specific Cell ◽

Cell Lineages ◽

Physical Cues

Differentiation methods of hPSCs into specific cell lineages. Differentiation of hPSCsviaEB formation (types AB, A–D) or without EB formation (types E–H).

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Development of Ethnic Awareness in the Absence of Physical Cues

The Irish Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1080/03033910.1982.10557650 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 109-127 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Liz McWhirter ◽

Roberta Gamble

Keyword(s):

Physical Cues

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Social demographics, snack consumption, vending machine use and oral health

BDJ ◽

10.1038/sj.bdj.4814123 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 201 (7) ◽

pp. 437-437

Author(s):

K Barnard

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Social Demographics ◽

Snack Consumption

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Cellular orientation is guided by strain gradients

Integrative Biology ◽

10.1039/c7ib00019g ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 607-618 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Sophie Chagnon-Lessard ◽

Hubert Jean-Ruel ◽

Michel Godin ◽

Andrew E. Pelling

Keyword(s):

Long Range ◽

Strain Gradients ◽

Physical Cues

A biomimetic microdevice reveals that strain gradients act as potent physical cues which guide the long-range organization of cells.

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Snack consumption is decreasing in Colombia among the youngest, the most educated, and the wealthiest: results of two representative national surveys.

10.21203/rs.2.14032/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Oscar Fernando Herran ◽

Eduardo Villamor ◽

Doris Cristina Quintero-Lesmes

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Wealth Index ◽

Household Wealth ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Snack Food ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

National Surveys ◽

Food Pattern ◽

Snack Consumption ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background: A common recommendation is to reduce the consumption of snack food and replace this consumption with nutrient-dense foods. The objective was to establish whether there were changes in adherence to the consumption of the snack pattern (SP) in Colombian children and adults in the 2010-2015 quinquennium. In addition, this study aimed to establish the relationship between the SP and some biological, socioeconomic, and geographic variables in Colombia, Sur América. Methods: Based on a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) applied both in 2010 and 2015 in the national nutritional situation surveys, the adherence to the snack consumption pattern was established through factor analysis. The change in the adherence of consumption to the SP was established for the five-year period [2015 minus 2010], using multiple linear regression models. Crude and adjusted differences were estimated by the following covariables: sex, age, marital status, food security, wealth index, ethnicity, education of the head of the household, area and region. In total, 37,981 subjects were analyzed. In 2010, 10,150 children (5 to 17 years old) and 5,145 adults (18 to 64 years old) were included, and in 2015, 13,243 children and 9,443 adults. Results: In children, the adjusted difference in the adherence to SP was -0.37 (95% CI: -0.42, -0.32), p < 0.0001. In adults, the adjusted difference in the adherence to SP was -0.27 (95% CI: -0.31, -0.24), p < 0.0001. In all categories of covariables, consumption decreased, for all p < 0.0001. In children the decrease in consumption was inversely associated with body mass index (BMI) and height and was directly associated with the level of food security in the home and the wealth index. In adults the decrease in consumption was inversely related to age and BMI and directly related to the size, the level of food security of the household, wealth index, and education level. Conclusions: In the quinquennium there is a decrease in the adherence to the SP, the region, the wealthiest, the tallest, the best BMI and the most educated displayed the greatest decrease in the SP. Keywords Food Pattern; Snack Pattern; Intake of Snack; Children; Adults; Colombia.

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