COVID-19 Stress and Food Intake: Protective and Risk Factors for Stress-Related Palatable Food Intake in U.S. Adults

(1) Background: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused disruptions to what people eat, but the pandemic’s impact on diet varies between individuals. The goal of our study was to test whether pandemic-related stress was associated with food intake, and whether relationships between stress and intake were modified by appetitive and cognitive traits. (2) Methods: We cross-sectionally surveyed 428 adults to examine current intake frequency of various food types (sweets/desserts, savory snacks, fast food, fruits, and vegetables), changes to food intake during the pandemic, emotional overeating (EOE), cognitive flexibility (CF), and COVID-19-related stress. Models tested associations of stress, EOE, and CF with food intake frequency and changes to intake. (3) Results: Models demonstrated that the positive relationship between stress and intake of sweets/desserts was stronger with higher EOE, while the positive relationship between stress and intake of chips/savory snacks was weaker with higher CF. Higher EOE was associated with greater risk of increased intake of palatable foods. (4) Conclusions: Findings suggest that emotional overeating may escalate stress-associated intake of high-sugar foods, and cognitive flexibility may attenuate stress-associated intake of high-fat foods. Differences in appetitive and cognitive traits may explain changes to and variability in food intake during COVID-19, and efforts to decrease emotional overeating and encourage cognitive flexibility could help lessen the effect of COVID-19-related stress on energy dense food intake.

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Complementary Roles of Orexin and Melanin-Concentrating Hormone in Feeding Behavior

International Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1155/2013/983964 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Jessica R. Barson ◽

Irene Morganstern ◽

Sarah F. Leibowitz

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Energy Expenditure ◽

Energy Conservation ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Paradoxical Sleep ◽

Palatable Food ◽

Physiological Processes ◽

Melanin Concentrating Hormone ◽

Food Seeking ◽

Energy Dense Food

Transcribed within the lateral hypothalamus, the neuropeptides orexin/hypocretin (OX) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) both promote palatable food intake and are stimulated by palatable food. While these two neuropeptides share this similar positive relationship with food, recent evidence suggests that this occurs through different albeit complementary effects on behavior, with OX promoting food seeking and motivation for palatable food and MCH functioning during ongoing food intake, reinforcing the consumption of calorically dense foods. Further differences are evident in their effects on physiological processes, which are largely opposite in nature. For example, activation of OX receptors, which is neuronally excitatory, promotes waking, increases energy expenditure, and enhances limbic dopamine levels and reward. In contrast, activation of MCH receptors, which is neuronally inhibitory, promotes paradoxical sleep, enhances energy conservation, reduces limbic dopamine, and increases depressive behavior. This review describes these different effects of the neuropeptides, developing the hypothesis that they stimulate the consumption of palatable food through excessive seeking in the case of OX and through excessive energy conservation in the case of MCH. It proposes that OX initiates food intake and subsequently stimulates MCH which then acts to prolong the consumption of palatable, energy-dense food.

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The Contribution of Food Consumption to Well-Being

Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1159/000499147 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (Suppl. 2) ◽

pp. 44-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mark D. Holder

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Positive Psychology ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Fast Food ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Healthy Foods ◽

Personal Strengths ◽

The Relationship

The newly emerging field of positive psychology focuses on the positive facets of life, including happiness, life satisfaction, personal strengths, and flourishing. Research in this field has empirically identified many important benefits of enhanced well-being, including improvements in blood pressure, immune competence, longevity, career success, and satisfaction with personal relationships. Recognizing these benefits has motivated researchers to identify the correlates and causes of well-being to inform them in the development and testing of strategies and interventions to elevate well-being. As positive psychology researchers throughout the world have turned their attention toward facets of food intake, a consensus is developing that the consumption of healthy foods can enhance well-being in a dose-response fashion. The link between unhealthy foods and well-being is less clear. Some studies suggest that under certain conditions, fast food may increase happiness, though other studies demonstrate that fast food can indirectly undermine happiness. The positive impact of food consumption on well-being is not limited to what people consume but extends to how they consume it and social factors related to eating. Though the research suggests that our food intake, particularly fruits and vegetables, increases our well-being, this research is in its infancy. Research specifically focused on subpopulations, including infants and pregnant mothers, is mostly lacking, and the mechanisms that underlie the relationship between food consumption and well-being remain to be elucidated.

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45852 Parenting stress predicts fast food intake in an urban community sample of overweight parents of toddlers

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science ◽

10.1017/cts.2021.494 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Tara Bautista ◽

Nia Fogelman ◽

Schan Lartigue ◽

Wendy K. Silverman ◽

Ania M. Jastreboff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Parenting Stress ◽

Fast Food ◽

Urban Community ◽

Community Sample

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Exploring the relationship between health literacy and fast food consumption: a population-based study from southern Iran

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10763-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Azam Namdar ◽

Mohammad Mehdi Naghizadeh ◽

Marziyeh Zamani ◽

Ali Montazeri

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Food Intake ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Fast Food ◽

Reading Skills ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Fars Province ◽

Southern Iran ◽

Fast Food Consumption

Abstract Background Health literacy (HL) may affect the consumption of fast food. We aimed to evaluate the effect of HL on fast food consumption among adult populations in Iran. Methods We evaluated HL and fast food consumption in 421 adult participants with age range of 18–65 years old in Fasa, Fars Province, southern Iran. Two-step cluster and systematic sampling was performed to recruit the study sample. Data were collected using a fast food consumption checklist, and the Health Literacy Instrument for Adults (HELIA) by face-to-face interviews. Population data across groups with and without fast food intake were compared. Results Most participants used fast food every few months (49.9%). People with low or unstable income consumed more fast food than others (P < 0.05). Sandwich and hotdog were the most consumed fast food (60.8%) followed by pizza (34.9%). Sausage and soda were the most seasoning food (66.7%). Most participants used fast food as dinner (67.9%) and with family (72.2%), suggesting the institutionalized consumption of this type of food in the family. Fun was the most frequent reason for the use of fast food (66.5%). Most participants completely knew about the raw materials for fast food and their adverse effects. Finally, we found that overall health literacy was lower among those who used fast food than those who did not. Consumed fast food (68.16 ± 23.85 vs. 73.15 ± 20.15; p = 0.021). This difference was also observed for some components of health literacy including reading skills, and decision-making subscales. Conclusions The findings suggest there is a negative relationship between general health literacy and fast food consumption indicating that who possess lower level of health literacy is likely to consume more fast food. Specifically, the findings suggest that reading skills, and decision-making (behavioral intention) are more associated with decreased or increased fast food intake.

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Nutrient and Food Intake of Indonesian Children Under 5 Years of Age: A Systematic Review

Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/10105395211041001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 101053952110410

Author(s):

Hesti Retno Budi Arini ◽

Veni Hadju ◽

Preetha Thomas ◽

Megan Ferguson

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Food Intake ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Narrative Analysis ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Child Malnutrition ◽

Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Children Under 5

The Indonesian Government’s targets to reduce the prevalence of child malnutrition are unlikely to be met based on current progress. Adequate dietary intake is key to meeting these targets. This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the nutrient and food intake of Indonesian children under 5 years of age. Peer-reviewed and gray literature published between 2007 and 2019 were collected. Of 1500 records, 38 articles met the study inclusion criteria and a narrative analysis was conducted. Children under 5 years were reported to have ranging energy and macronutrient intakes, some with adequate protein intake. Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin C, were reported. Animal-source foods, fruits, and vegetables were consumed by children, but frequency and/or volume of consumption was low, and it is among the probable causes of micronutrient deficiency among children under 5 years. The absence of reporting micronutrient intake in the national survey limited evidence to inform nutrition-related policies. The implementation of a national micronutrient survey will be beneficial in informing policy and practice aimed at reducing the prevalence of child malnutrition in line with national targets, through improvement in dietary intake.

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Subchronic air pollution exposure increases highly palatable food intake, modulates caloric efficiency and induces lipoperoxidation

Inhalation Toxicology ◽

10.1080/08958378.2018.1530317 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (9-10) ◽

pp. 370-380 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Caroline Gamalho da Silveira ◽

Marlise Di Domenico ◽

Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva ◽

Cláudia Ramos Rhoden

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Food Intake ◽

Palatable Food ◽

Caloric Efficiency ◽

Air Pollution Exposure ◽

Pollution Exposure

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A Change of Scenery: Does Exposure to Images of Nature Affect Delay Discounting and Food Desirability?

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.782056 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Katie Clarke ◽

Suzanne Higgs ◽

Clare E. Holley ◽

Andrew Jones ◽

Lucile Marty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Delay Discounting ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Food Preferences ◽

Natural Scenes ◽

Urban Scenes ◽

Urban Image ◽

Adult Participants ◽

Desire To Eat ◽

The Impact ◽

Energy Dense Food

Previous research suggests that exposure to nature may reduce delay discounting (the tendency to discount larger future gains in favor of smaller immediate rewards) and thereby facilitate healthier dietary intake. This pre-registered study examined the impact of online exposure to images of natural scenes on delay discounting and food preferences. It was predicted that exposure to images of natural scenes (vs. images of urban scenes) would be associated with: (i) lower delay discounting; (ii) higher desirability for fruits and vegetables (and lower desirability for more energy-dense foods); and (iii) delay discounting would mediate the effect of nature-image exposure on food desirability. Adult participants (N = 109) were recruited to an online between-subjects experiment in which they viewed a timed sequence of six images either showing natural landscape scenes or urban scenes. They then completed measures of mood, delay discounting (using a five-trial hypothetical monetary discounting task) and rated their momentary desire to eat four fruits and vegetables (F&V), and four energy-dense foods. There was no statistically significant effect of experimental condition (natural vs. urban image exposure) on delay discounting or food desirability. Bayes factors supported the null hypothesis for discounting (BF01 = 4.89), and energy-dense food desirability (BF01 = 7.21), but provided no strong evidence for either hypothesis for F&V desirability (BF01 = 0.78). These findings indicate that brief online exposure to images of nature does not affect momentary impulsivity or energy-dense food preference, whereas for preference for less-energy dense foods, the evidence was inconclusive.

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Prevalence and Determinants of High Blood Pressure among Adolescents: A School based Study in Rural Area of Hooghly District, West Bengal

International Journal of Research and Review ◽

10.52403/ijrr.20211127 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 205-210

Author(s):

Malay Kumar Das ◽

Rabindranath Sinha ◽

Aparajita Dasgupta

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Body Mass Index ◽

Food Intake ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Body Mass ◽

High Blood Pressure ◽

Fast Food ◽

Non Communicable Diseases

Introduction: The World Health Organization has already warned of increasing non-communicable diseases among adolescents as a major public health problem. The importance of this age group also lies in the fact that many serious diseases in adulthood have their roots in adolescence. Method: A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used in class-room setting to collect information from students regarding presence of risk factors of non-communicable diseases. The respondents were also subjected to anthropometric measurements and blood pressure examination using standard operating procedures. Results: A total of 761 students of class VI-XII participated in the study of which 61.4% were boys and rests were girls. High blood pressure among boys and girls were 19.9% and 22.1% were respectively. In Bivariate analysis age > 15 years (median) (OR= 2.11), fast food intake (>3 times/week) (OR= 1.66), Alcohol consumption (OR= 2.22), less physical activity (OR=1.54), increased body mass index (OR=2.53), significantly associated with high blood pressure. In Multivariate analysis age (AOR= 2.25), fast food intake (AOR= 1.50), Alcohol consumption (OR= 2.23), less physical activity (AOR=1.71), increased body mass index (AOR=2.42) remains significant predictor. Conclusion: Detecting the risk factors of high blood pressure prevalent in the population is of utmost importance to achieve a healthy population. Formulation and dissemination of need--based, culturally acceptable and age appropriate scientific messages for school students should be conducted more proactively. Keywords: Adolescents, Blood pressure, Risk factor, Rural school.

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UNDERWEIGHT, STUNTING, WASTING DAN KAITANNYA TERHADAP ASUPAN MAKAN, PENGETAHUAN IBU, DAN PEMANFAATAN PELAYANAN KESEHATAN

JURNAL RISET GIZI ◽

10.31983/jrg.v8i2.6329 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 101-106

Author(s):

Risky Amelia Rhamadani ◽

Reny Noviasty ◽

Ratno Adrianto

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Food Intake ◽

Health Services ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Complementary Feeding ◽

Health Centre ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Significant Positive Relationship ◽

Utilization Of Health Services

Background : Nutrition problems in toddlers become a public health problem when it exceeds WHO indicators in which the issue of malnutrition and undernutrition 17.8%, short toddlers 27.5% and thin toddlers 11.1%. The problem of undernutrition, short and thin toddlers are public health problem in the chronic category.Objective : to determine the factor related to the nutritional status of toddlers in Loa Ipuh Health Centre. The design of this research is a cross-sectional study with total sample of 97 toddlers. Data collection uses anthropometric measurements, 24 hours of form food recall and questionnaires for mother's knowledge of breastfeeding complementary feeding and the utilization of health services.Method : Data analysis is using Pearson product-moment test with a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that there was a significant positive relationship between the food intake with the WAZ (P=0,000), HAZ (P=0,000) and WHZ (P=0,021), mother's knowledge about complementary feeding with the WAZ (P=0,041), HAZ (P=0,010) and WHZ (P=0,010), utilization of health services with the WAZ (P=0,007), HAZ (P=0,009) and WHZ (P=0,006). Result : there is a significant positive relationship between intake of toddler feeding, mother's knowledge about complementary feeding and the utilization of health services with the nutritional status of toddlers WAZ, HAZ, and WHZ. Access to health services should be improved and evenly distributed throughout the health centre area.Conclusion : There is a significant positive relationship between food intake for children under five, maternal knowledge about complementary foods and health service utilization with the nutritional status

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Trends in Dietary Patterns and Diet-related Behaviors in China

American Journal of Health Behavior ◽

10.5993/ajhb.45.2.15 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 371-383

Author(s):

Tao Bu ◽

Daisheng Tang ◽

Yahong Liu ◽

Dangui Chen

Keyword(s):

Dietary Patterns ◽

Fast Food ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Metabolic Diseases ◽

Cooking Methods ◽

Nutrition Survey ◽

Eating Frequency ◽

Dietary Knowledge ◽

Health And Nutrition ◽

Rice Consumption

Objectives: Determination of trends in diet-related behaviors and their interactions with cardio-metabolic diseases is an important research endeavor. Methods: We analyzed food categories, weight, eating frequency, eating location, cooking methods, time of food intake, dietary knowledge, food preference, nutritional structure over time, and their interaction with cardiometabolic risks, using t tests and χ2 tests, based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey packages from 1997 to 2011. Results: Consumption of fruits, dairy products, snacks, fast food, and beverages has increased significantly, as a concomitant and marked decrease in rice consumption has occurred. Food categories, eating frequency, cooking methods, and at-home eating are gradually increasing and diversifying. Persons not only prefer to consume carbohydrate-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, but also enjoy energy-dense foods like meat, snacks, and beverages. There has been a switch from a predominantly plant-based diet to a Western style diet high in fat and animal-based foods. People have undergone significant changes in reducing the intake of energy, carbohydrates, and protein, but significantly increased their fat intake. Conclusion: Chinese dietary patterns and diet-related behaviors have undergone significant transition in the past few decades, trending towards diversification and modernization.

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