Food Literacy and Behavior Changes During Covid-19 in a University Student Population

Abstract

ObjectivesThe purpose of our study was to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on food literacy and behaviors towards food in young adult university students. Self-reported scores on each of the five factors identified by the Eating and Food Literacy Questionnaire (EFLBQ) were used to measure change.MethodsUniversity students 18 to 30 years of age were recruited to complete the EFLBQ during the Covid-19 pandemic. Demographic information about gender, height, weight, race, and ethnicity were gathered. Current COVID-19 data was compared to a random sample of data collected pre-COVID-19 in a similar population group. Each of the five EFLBQ factor scores were compared using independent-sample t-tests. Significance was set at P < 0.05.Results229 university students completed the EFLBQ during the Covid-19 pandemic. 164 participants were female(71.6%). Their race/ethnicity included: 184 White (80.3%), 26 Black (11.4%), 11 Hispanic or Latino (4.8%), 6 Asian (2.6%), and 2 reported as Other. These scores were compared to a random sample of EFLBQ scores gathered from students at the same university pre-Covid-19. The pre-Covid-19 participants included 125 females (54.6%). 177 were White (77.3%), 30 were Black (13.1%), 9 were Hispanic/Latino (3.9%), 8 were Asian (3.5%), 2 were American Indian or Alaska Native (.9%) and 3 identified as Other. Independent-sample t-tests were conducted to compare each of the five EFLBQ factor before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. There was a significant difference in scores for the pre-Covid-19 (M = 2.59, SD = 0.49) and those during the Covid-19 pandemic (M = 2.72, SD = .51) for the factor of Health and Nutrition; (t(456) = 2.86, P = .004) and the factor of Food Preparation pre-Covid-19 (M = 2.52, SD = 0.70) and during the Covid-19 pandemic (M = 2.66, SD = .76); (t(455) = 1.98. P = .049). There were no significant differences in the EFLBQ factors of Taste, Planning and Decision Making, and Convenience.ConclusionsThe results from this investigation suggest that during the Covid-19 pandemic, university students have become more concerned about eating healthy foods and consuming balanced diets and are more confident about their cooking skills.Funding SourcesThis project was partially funded by Hatch Project #LAB94331.