scholarly journals Predictors of COVID-19-Related Perceived Improvements in Dietary Health: Results from a US Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2097
Author(s):  
Kelly Cosgrove ◽  
Christopher Wharton

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial lifestyle changes. No US study has identified predictors of perceived dietary healthfulness changes during the pandemic period. This study included analyses of lifestyle and dietary healthfulness changes using 958 survey responses from US primary household food purchasers. Information was collected related to demographics, COVID-19-related household changes, and health-related habits before and during the pandemic. Binary logistic regression identified predictors of perceived increase in dietary healthfulness during the pandemic period. Overall, 59.8%, 16.4%, and 23.4% of participants reported that their eating habits likely changed, may have changed, and likely did not change, respectively. Of the participants whose dietary habits likely or may have changed, 64.1%, 16.8%, and 19% reported healthier, neither healthier nor less healthy, and less healthy eating habits, respectively. COVID-19-related income loss, more meals consumed with household members in front of the television, an increase in food advertisement exposure, increased perceived stress, and better perceived current health were significant predictors of a perceived increase in dietary healthfulness. Overall, dietary habits were perceived to become healthier during the pandemic. The predictors of perceived improvement in dietary healthfulness were surprising and indicate the need for further study of these factors in crisis and noncrisis situations.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela de Assumpção ◽  
Caroline Dario Capitani ◽  
Ana Carolina Rocha ◽  
Marilisa Berti de Azevedo Barros ◽  
Antonio de Azevedo Barros Filho

ABSTRACT Objective: To estimate the prevalence of gluten intake according to demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related behavioral variables in adolescents. Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional study with a two-stage cluster sampling, conducted in Campinas, São Paulo, in 2008-2009. Foods containing gluten were identified using a 24-hour Recall. We calculated the prevalence and adjusted prevalence ratios with multiple Poisson regression. Results: The study had a sample of 924 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. Among the foods assessed, 26.9% (confidence interval of 95% - 95%CI 25.3-28.6) contained gluten. We found a higher prevalence of gluten intake in younger individuals (10 to 14 years), as well as in subgroups of adolescents who had a higher number of household appliances, attended school, consumed fewer beans and vegetables during the week (<4 times), and whose head of the family had better education level (≥12 years of schooling). The main food sources of gluten in their diet were: bread, cakes, and cereals (30.2%), chocolate milk (14%), chicken nuggets (12.3%), and cookies (11%). Conclusions: The results of the study show the epidemiological profile associated with gluten intake in adolescents and could support actions aimed at promoting healthy eating habits and preventing gluten-related diseases.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3314
Author(s):  
Leila Cheikh Ismail ◽  
Tareq M. Osaili ◽  
Maysm N. Mohamad ◽  
Amina Al Marzouqi ◽  
Amjad H. Jarrar ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease is still spreading in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with subsequent lockdowns and social distancing measures being enforced by the government. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the lockdown on eating habits and lifestyle behaviors among residents of the UAE. A cross-sectional study among adults in the UAE was conducted using an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. A total of 1012 subjects participated in the study. During the pandemic, 31% reported weight gain and 72.2% had less than eight cups of water per day. Furthermore, the dietary habits of the participants were distanced from the Mediterranean diet principles and closer to “unhealthy” dietary patterns. Moreover, 38.5% did not engage in physical activity and 36.2% spent over five hours per day on screens for entertainment. A significantly higher percentage of participants reported physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion, irritability, and tension “all the time” during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic (p < 0.001). Sleep disturbances were prevalent among 60.8% of the participants during the pandemic. Although lockdowns are an important safety measure to protect public health, results indicate that they might cause a variety of lifestyle changes, physical inactivity, and psychological problems among adults in the UAE.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 300
Author(s):  
Carmen Pérez-Rodrigo ◽  
Marta Gianzo Citores ◽  
Gotzone Hervás Bárbara ◽  
Fátima Ruiz-Litago ◽  
Luis Casis Sáenz ◽  
...  

Background: Lockdown due to COVID-19 influenced food habits and lifestyles with potential negative health impact. This study aims to identify patterns of change in eating habits and physical activity during COVID-19 lockdown in Spain and to identify associations with sociodemographic factors and usual habits. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1155 adults recruited online to answer a 10-section questionnaire. The protocol assessed usual diet by means of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, usual physical activity (PA) and supplement use, dietary changes, sedentary time, PA, exposure to sunlight, sleep quality, and smoking during confinement. Patterns of dietary change were identified by factor analysis. Factor scores were included in cluster analysis together with change in PA. Results: Six patterns of dietary change were identified that together with PA changes during lockdown defined three clusters of lifestyle change: a cluster less active, a more active cluster, and a third cluster as active as usual. People who were usually less active were more likely to be classified in the cluster that increased physical activity in confinement. Scores of the Healthy Mediterranean-Style dietary pattern were higher in this group. Conclusions: Different patterns of change in lifestyles in confinement suggest the need to tailor support and advice to different population groups.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo C. Noronha ◽  
Monique I. A. F. Santos ◽  
Adrianny A. Santos ◽  
Lizia G. A. Corrente ◽  
Rúbia K. N. Fernandes ◽  
...  

Nutrition education is one of the factors that may help to promote behavior change and therefore may improve the dietary habits of adolescent soccer players. However, information about the relationship between nutrition knowledge (NK) and the dietary behavior of these athletes is scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the eating habits of adolescent soccer players and analyse the correlations among dietary intake and NK. Seventy-three Brazilian adolescent soccer players (aged 14–19 years), from four professional clubs, underwent anthropometric evaluation and completed 3-day food records. Misreporting of energy intake was evaluated and the dietary intake data were energy-adjusted and compared with recommendations for athletes and dietary reference intakes. The athletes also answered a questionnaire about barriers for healthy eating and a nutrition knowledge test divided into three sections: Basic Nutrition Knowledge (BNK), Sports Nutrition Knowledge (SNK), and Food Pyramid Nutrition Knowledge (FPNK). The participants showed a low NK (54.6%) and an inadequate intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy, carbohydrates, and micronutrients. A positive correlation was found between the ingestion of phosphorus and FPNK as well as among calcium and both SNK and Total NK (p<0.05). Sodium intake was negatively correlated with all categories of the NK test (p<0.05). The adolescents reported that the principal barriers for adopting a healthy diet were the lack of willpower and a busy lifestyle. In this context, nutrition education is recommended and should also provide practicable healthy eating goals according to athletes´ lifestyle as well as target motivational barriers to increase adherence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (04) ◽  
pp. 752-758
Author(s):  
Aftab Nazir ◽  
Rabia Arshad Usmani ◽  
Muhammad Sarfraz ◽  
Muhammad Zakria ◽  
Muhammad Umar Ghafoor ◽  
...  

Objectives: To study the pattern of BMI and associated factors in residents of Hussainabad aged 15 years and above. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Hussainabad, Faisalabad. Period: 15th April to 23th August 2017. Material & Methods: A sample of 410 was obtained. Participants were selected by convenience sampling. Data was collected by self-administered questionnaire. Results: Out of total 410 study participants, 250 (61%) were males and 160 (39%) were females. 258 (62.9%) participants were found having BMI in the range of overweight and obesity, 6 (1.4%) participants were underweight and the remaining 146 (36%) participants were having normal BMI range. Amongst 258 overweight/obese people, 83 (20.2%) people were overweight, 112 (27.3%) moderate obese, 30 (7.3%) severe obese and 33 (8.1%) very severe obese. Overall 175 (42.7%) people were suffering from obesity. 249 (60.7%) people were in habit of eating in between meals and 161 (39.3%) were not used to eating in between meals. 95 (23.1%) people eat four times a day and 55 (13.4%) people eat more than four times a day. Likeness and increased frequency of rice and meat [136 (33.2%) and (130 (31.7%)] was more than vegetables and pulses [(91 (22.2%) and (53 (12.9%)] respectively. 157 (38.3%) people were having nocturnal eating habits. 194 (47.3%) admitted of liking the sweets and sweet foods and 170 (41.5%) people admitted of eating more under stressful conditions. 130 (31.7%) participants don’t do any kind of physical activity. Conclusion: This study describes a high frequency of obesity among population of Hussainabad. Numerous health risk practices were identified including unhealthy dietary habits, eating sweet foods, increased meal frequency, snacking behavior and lack of physical activity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frøydis Nordgård Vik ◽  
Erik Grasaas ◽  
Maaike E. M. Polspoel ◽  
Margrethe Røed ◽  
Elisabet R. Hillesund ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundPositive parental feeding practices and a higher frequency of family meals are related to healthier child dietary habits. Parents play an essential role when it comes to the development of their child’s eating habits. However, parents are increasingly distracted by their mobile phone during mealtime. The aim of this study was to describe the feeding practices and daily shared family meals among parents who use and do not use mobile phone during mealtime, and further to explore the associations between the use of mobile phone during mealtime and feeding practices and daily shared family meals, respectively.Methods Cross-sectional data from the Food4toddler study were used to explore the association between mobile use during meals and parental feeding practices including family meals. In 2017/2018 parents of toddlers were recruited through social media to participate in the study. In total 298 out of 404 who volunteered to participate, filled in a baseline questionnaire, including questions from the comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire (CFPQ), questions of frequency of family meals and use of mobile phone during meals. ResultsHerein, 4 out of 10 parents reported various levels of phone use (meal distraction) during mealtimes. Parental phone use was associated with lower use of positive parental feeding practices like modelling (B= -1.05 (95% CI -1.69; -0.41)) and family food environment (B= -0.77 (95% CI -1.51; -0.03)), and more use of negative parental feeding practices like emotional regulation (B= 0.73 (95% CI 0.32; 1.14)) and the use of pressure to eat (B= 1.22 (95% CI 0.41; 2.03)). Furthermore, parental phone use was associated with a lower frequency of daily family breakfast (OR= 0.50 (95% CI 0.31; 0.82)) and dinner (OR= 0.57 (95% CI 0.35; 0.93)). ConclusionsMobile phone use is common among parents during mealtimes, and findings indicate that parental phone use is associated with less healthy feeding practices and shared family meals. These findings highlight the importance of making parents aware of potential impacts of meal distractions. Trial registration: ISRCTN92980420. Registered 13 September 2017. Retrospectively registered.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 2267-2273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélida Ventura Barbosa Gonçalves ◽  
Diogo Thimoteo da Cunha ◽  
Elke Stedefeldt ◽  
Veridiana Vera de Rosso

The aim of this study was to characterize the process of buying Family Farming (FF) food for the Brazilian School Feeding Program (BSFP) and compare the quality of menus served to the schoolchildren before and after the implementation of Law n. 11,947/09. This is an observational cross-sectional study developed with application of semi-structured questionnaire and evaluating menus. Eighty-two cities from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil participated of the study. Of these cities reported, 74.1% performed the purchase of products of FF for BSFP. The lack of interest of farmers and the deficient hygienic and sanitary conditions were the main difficulties reported. The quality of the menus offered to the schoolchildren improved significantly after the implementation of FF purchases. The partnership between FF and BSFP can contribute greatly to the development of healthy eating habits, not only by offering better nutritional quality menus, but also by implementing of nutritional education activities guided by the sustainable production and consumption of food.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabián Espitia-Almeida ◽  
Martha Mora-García ◽  
Alexandra Coquel-Bru ◽  
Christian Orozco-Sánchez

Purpose This paper aims to determine the eating habits and physical activity in students of the Rafael Núñez University. Design/methodology/approach Descriptive cross-sectional study, based on the application of a survey on eating habits and physical activity. Furthermore, height, weight, hip circumference and abdominal circumference were also recorded. Findings Total, 170 students were included, 29 (17.1%) males and 141 (82.9%) females, with a mean age of 20.0 ± 5.2 years. Among the students, 22 (12.9%) were underweight, 95 (55.9%) were normal weight, 40 (23.5%) were overweight and 13 (7.7%) with obesity. Regarding eating habits, the majority preferred to consume three daily meals: breakfast 140 (82.3%), lunch 170 (100%) and dinner 96 (56.5%). Regarding fruits intake, 18 (15.9%) males reported consuming them seven days a week, and 54 (31.2 %) females reported consuming them occasionally. In physical activity, most of the population (n = 103, 60.6%) exercises with a frequency of one to three days/week. Originality/value The authors’ work is original and has not been sent to another magazine.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeinab Samhat ◽  
Randa Attieh ◽  
Yonna Sacre

Abstract Background The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the relationships between night shift work, eating habits and the risk of obesity among Lebanese nurses.Methods A total of 307 nurses were randomly selected from five hospitals localized in Beirut. Data about demographic and professional characteristics, anthropometric measures, dietary habits and intakes were collected through a validated questionnaire. To study the relation between night shift works, eating habits and the risk of obesity, chi-square test, t-test and logistic regressions were used.Results The majority of nurses (78, 2%) had irregular meals timing with a significant decrease in the number of complete meals consumed during the day and an increase in the number of snacks consumed during night (p<0, 05). The most consumed snacks during night were sweets and potato chips. The findings highlighted that Body Mass Index and waist circumference significantly increased with the number of years of work (r=0,175; p<0, 05) and the cumulative number of night shifts hours over the entire work history (r=0,135/p< 0, 05).Conclusion Night shift work contributes to abnormal eating patterns and increases the risk of obesity among Lebanese nurses. However the risk of obesity is not related to eating habits.


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