How the pandemic changed the way we eat and shop

CNN
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Covid-19 has influenced our lives in many ways, including how we eat and shop. According to a series of reports, changes are not always going in the right direction. It was announced on Monday at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting.

An analysis by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that some of us are increasing consumption of unhealthy snacks and desserts. Drink sugary drinks such as sweetened coffee and tea, regular sodas, and fruit drinks, including chips, cookies, and ice cream., Sports drinks and energy drinks.

More than one-third (36%) of nearly 4,000 Americans surveyed in June 2020 report that they may consume more. Eating unhealthy snacks and desserts before the pandemic, 22% said they occasionally drank sugared drinks.

However, 16% said they eat snacks and sweets frequently or constantly, and 10% say they eat sweet drinks as well. People who report eating the most unhealthy foods and drinks are more likely to be identified as Hispanic or black, under 65, obese, female, low-income and poorly educated.

The same survey also asked about food availability and safety. Nearly 6 out of 10 people (mainly low-income, unemployed, black or Hispanic adults) do not have access to food at nearby stores or are infected with Covid-19 from food. I answered that I was worried. Early concerns that Covid-19 could spread through food packaging was Immediately discounted by scientists..

Dietitian Brianna Dumas, a Fellow of the CDC’s Research Participation Program, said these findings “emphasize the importance of strategies and communication to reduce fear and prevent unintended negative behavior.” ..

In addition, public health officials need to emphasize “consumer awareness of emergency food access options, including promoting hunger safety net programs, especially among imbalance-affected groups.” Said Dumas.

Another study analyzed the diets of more than 2,000 Americans before and after the pandemic and found a reduction in health food consumption. Includes vegetables and whole grains from the last year.

“This decline was most pronounced among female, black and Latin research participants, and those who gained at least 5 pounds or more since 2018,” said Caroline, a postdoctoral fellow at the American Cancer Society.・ Umm said in a statement.

Um will track study participants to understand how their diet continues to change.Other studies investigate factors such as mental health and financial stress factors, It may be involved in changes in feeding behavior.

Nearly 30% of the 433 parents surveyed by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers say their children gained an average of 9.6 pounds in the months from May to September 2020.

Parents of children between the ages of 5 and 18 again before the pandemic and in May and September of 2020 The weight of the child.

Family members who said their children gained weight during that period were concerned about this trend and sought to monitor and limit their children’s eating habits in both May and September. However, in families where the child did not gain weight, parents were initially worried about monitoring their child’s food intake in May, but by September they had stopped doing so.

Further research is needed to investigate and target “various behavioral, social, environmental and psychosocial factors” that may contribute to weight gain in children and adolescents, Associate Professor of Pediatrics And written by Melanie Bean, co-director of the Healthy Lifestyle Center. Summary at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richmond Children’s Hospital.

Another study presented at the conference looked at the effects on children when families make fun of them and make other critical comments about their weight. According to a study, Tufts University researchers commented on family’s negative comments about weight that “only three times a month was significantly associated with the internalization of moderate to high levels of weight bias.” I found.

Previous research When children and adults experience weight prejudice and internalize it, it shows that it can itself predict weight gain.

“It’s generally accepted that a little shame or stigma may motivate you to lose weight, but research doesn’t seem to do that,” said Rebecca Pull, Deputy Director of the University of Connecticut’s Rad Food Policy and Obesity Center. Says. Told CNN in a previous interview.

“In fact, when people experience weight prejudice, this actually contributes to unhealthy eating behavior, reduced physical activity, and weight gain,” said Puhl. “According to our study, Parents tend to be more effective when they put their conversations into healthy behavior.

“The focus is not on the scales, but on the whole family eating fruits and vegetables, turning soda into water, and doing daily physical activity,” she added.

According to a survey conducted early in the pandemic, March and April 2020, one-third of the approximately 18,000 households surveyed said they were buying groceries online, 60 of which. % Says they plan to do so in the future. After the pandemic is over.

What’s the main reason? According to Shu Wen Ng, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, more than 80% said they wanted to avoid public bacteria and Covid-19, and 44% said they wanted to take advantage of convenience. It was. At Chapel Hill.

Researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science Policy at Tufts University analyzed retail prices for food and other consumer goods in 133 counties in the United States and compared them to the levels of Covid-19 limits imposed by local governments.

The results showed that higher levels of government restrictions during the pandemic were associated with higher food prices, but did not affect the cost of other consumer goods.