Abstract
This study aimed to explore food and nutrition related concerns during the post-lockdown period and their impacts on food shopping, preparation, and eating behaviors. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted through online questionnaire. We collected data on food and nutrition related concerns, socio-demographic characteristics, and changes in dietary behaviors. Participants: A total of 2267 responses were received from people living in 31 provinces across mainland China and 1994 participants were included in the final analysis. Analysis: Linear and multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association among food and nutrition related concerns, socio-demographic factors, and dietary behaviors Results: About 56% of participants reported moderate to high levels of concerns related to food and nutrition. Contracting the virus when dining out or through contaminated foods were the top two concerns, followed by overnutrition. Higher levels of concerns were found among people who were older, overweight, or obese, having lower income and education, and living in urban areas, or whose family contained vulnerable individuals. Compared with the pre-COVID-19 period, people who were more concerned about food and nutrition were more likely to report changes in their food purchases and consumption; they were also more likely to eat from individual plates, using serving chopsticks, and separating plates and utensils for raw and cooked foods during the post COVID-19 lockdown period. Conclusion and Implication: Food and nutrition related concerns during the post-lockdown period were prevalent and associated with changes in dietary behaviors. Preventative policies and nutritional guidance should be developed to address these concerns in order to reduce inappropriate dietary behaviors amid public health crises.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—is responsible for the current pandemic threatening global public health [1]
People experiencing a high level of stress and concern have been shown to exhibit unhealthy eating behaviors such as frequent food purchases and snacking, some of which are associated with greater weight gain and poor nutrition during lockdowns [5,9,10,11]
Several socio-demographic characteristics including age, body mass index (BMI), income, education, geographic region, and presence of vulnerable individuals significantly associate with different concern levels (Table 1)
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (a novel coronavirus)—is responsible for the current pandemic threatening global public health [1]. Since the emergence of COVID-19 outbreak in December 2019 and the declaration of pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, many countries have mandated self-quarantine and large-scale lockdowns to battle against the rapid spreading of the virus. These COVID-19 related measures and restrictions have negatively impacted the economy and forced people to change their lifestyle, which has often led to exacerbated financial and psychological stresses [3,4,5]. Other studies have further indicated more sedentary lifestyle [13], changes in grocery shopping behaviors [14,15], and eating in response to stress [16] during COVID-19 related isolation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
