Current Sex Distribution of Cooking and Food Shopping Responsibilities in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study

Understanding the selection of support partners in a behavioral weight loss program

OBJECTIVE

Engaging a support partner during behavioral weight loss (BWL) programs can improve outcomes. However, little information is available about those selected as support partners. The study aimed to (1) characterize support partners and qualities of the relationship, (2) assess differences in relationship dynamics across relationship types, and (3) assess differences in supportive relationships by participant gender.

METHODS AND MEASURES

Upon entering a 24-month BWL program, participants (N = 323) nominated a support person from their existing social networks. Participants completed self-report measures at baseline, including the Working Alliance Inventory and study-specific measures assessing characteristics of the support person and comfort in communicating with them.

RESULTS

Spouse/partners were chosen by 43.3% of all participants. Among married participants, 80.9% of men and 53.8% of women chose their spouse/partner. Working alliance was lower when the support partner was a spouse/partner versus a friend (p < 0.05, r = -0.19). Comfort talking about exercise with a support partner was higher than talking about eating or weight (p < 0.001, η2p= 0.05).

CONCLUSION

A variety of friends and family can be selected as support partners during BWL. Programs should attend to the unique needs of men versus women when identifying sources of support.

Engagement in a pilot produce prescription program in rural and urban counties in the Southeast United States

Introduction

In the United States, over one in every ten households experiences food insecurity. Food insecurity is associated with often co-occurring adverse health consequences, including risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Within the "Food is Medicine" intervention space, Produce Prescription Programs (PRx) seek to alleviate food insecurity and improve diet and health outcomes by leveraging access to produce through healthcare organizations. Though these programs are burgeoning across the United States, research surrounding their implementation and outreach is limited.

Methods

This study evaluates the implementation, reach, engagement, and retention of a PRx program piloted in two regions of Georgia (US) from 2020 to 2022. The study included 170 people living with one or more cardiometabolic conditions recruited from clinical sites in metropolitan and rural areas. The program provided pre-packaged produce boxes and nutrition education over six months. We examine participants' baseline demographics, food security status, dietary patterns, and loss to follow-up across contexts (metropolitan and rural). We employ regression analyses and model comparison approaches to identify the strongest predictors of loss to follow-up during the pilot period.

Results

In the pilot period of this program, 170 participants enrolled across rural and metropolitan sites. Of these, 100 individuals (59%) remained engaged for the six-month program. While many individuals met the target criteria of living with or at-risk of food insecurity, not all lived with low or very low food security. Metropolitan participants, males, and those with children in the household had significantly higher odds of loss to follow-up compared to rural participants, females, and those without children in the household. No other significant demographic or household differences were observed.

Discussion

This study demonstrates the potential of PRx programs to enhance food and nutrition security and cardiometabolic health in metropolitan and rural clinical settings. Future research should focus on addressing barriers to engagement and expanding the reach, impact, and sustainability of PRx programs across diverse contexts.

Factors associated with food label use: focus on healthy aspects of orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the potential relationships between the use of different section of food label, and healthy and pathological aspects of orthorexia among adults.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey (n = 1326). Inclusion criteria were being 19-64 years and graduated from at least primary school. Pregnant and lactating women were excluded. Data were collected using questionnaire including socio-demographic variables, lifestyle factors, body weight and height, frequency of reading different sections of food label ("always", "when buying a food for the first time", "when comparing similar packaged foods", "rarely", "never"), food label literacy, and Teruel Orthorexia Scale. Participants were categorized as nutrition facts panel-users, ingredients list-users or claim-users if they read at least one item from the relevant parts.

RESULTS

The proportions of nutrition facts, ingredients list, and claims sections users were 72.3%, 76.3%, and 79.9%, respectively. Both healthy and pathological aspects of orthorexia were associated with reading food labels. The healthy orthorexia had the strongest association with using the ingredients list (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.41-2.20), whereas the orthorexia nervosa showed the highest association with using nutrition facts panel (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.20-1.81). While women, physically active participants and those with higher food label literacy were more likely to use all sections of food labels; older age, having children, and chronic disease increased the likelihood of using claims and ingredients list (p < 0.05). Besides, following a diet was associated with higher use of nutrition facts and ingredients list (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrates that food label users have higher orthorexia tendencies compared to non-users. Of the food label sections, healthy orthorexia showed the strongest association with use of the list of ingredients, while pathological orthorexia showed the strongest association with use of the nutrition facts panel.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V, cross-sectional study.

"Mindset Matters": Perseverance, a balanced approach and structured support as facilitators of whole foods plant-based adoption

Whole foods plant-based diets (WFPBD) show potential for preventing and addressing chronic diseases. However, concerns exist about their acceptability and feasibility. Research on firsthand WFPBD adoption experiences is limited but crucial for promoting dietary change. In a 12-week remotely delivered lifestyle modification program using an ad libitum WFPBD, twenty weight-loss seeking adults (ages 18-75) with overweight or obesity completed self-report surveys and semi-structured interviews via Zoom. The study aimed to explore: (1) experiences with WFPBD adoption; (2) factors that helped or hindered adherence; and (3) perceived salient benefits. Interviews were analyzed inductively through a conventional content analysis, and associations between variables examined with correlational analyses. Participants overall reported WFPBD adoption being a positive, new experience, with an equal number (30%) finding it easy/easier than expected as challenging. Key cited challenges included overwhelm, different eating habits in the household, and meal preparation. Key cited facilitators included adopting an incremental approach to dietary change, persisting after setbacks, and having simple go-to meals. Greater self-compassion and family support, and less sabotage from friends and family corresponded to greater dietary change (rs > 0.45, ps < .05). Participants valued accountability, structure, human support, nutrition psychoeducation and recipes in the program. Three categories emerged regarding perceived benefits of following the WFPBD: physical health benefits, improvements to eating habits, and greater perceived control/agency over health. Results indicate that future interventions should include psychological strategies alongside nutrition education to enhance self-efficacy, address household barriers, and combat feelings of overwhelm through sufficient structure, support, and meal preparation guidance. Messaging around WFPBD may benefit from discussing prevailing positive experiences with adoption, common benefits experienced, and options for an incremental approach given that feasibility and acceptability concerns may deter efforts.

The family meal, a ritual frozen in time; an Australian grounded theory study

Family meals are recognized as an opportunity to promote the health of families. Popular discourse posits that changes to contemporary family life have made family meals harder to achieve and promotion of the 'traditional' family meal may be adding pressures to contemporary families. While research has been conducted on family meals over the last three decades, there is no explicit investigation of the experiences and practices of family meals over this time. Understanding the evolution of family meal practices across time is important for developing achievable expectations in relation to this ritual. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a diverse population of South Australian parents in the 1990s (n = 32) and with a separate population of parents in 2020 (n = 22) to gather their experiences of family meal practices. A comparative analysis, informed by grounded theory, was undertaken to identify similarities and differences in experiences across these two time periods. The results indicated stability in many family meal experiences across time, particularly in their value and significance in family life. Negotiations balancing time, cost, food preferences and responsibility persisted. The stability of family meal values and practices is important to consider when making recommendations, designing interventions and creating services targeting the family meal.

Sustainable Strategies for Increasing Legume Consumption: Culinary and Educational Approaches

Legumes are nutrient-dense crops with health-promoting benefits. However, several barriers are associated with their consumption. Emerging issues including food neophobic tendencies or taboos, unclear dietary guidelines on legume consumption, health concerns, and socio-economic reasons, as well as long cooking procedures, adversely affect legume consumption frequency. Pre-treatment methods, including soaking, sprouting, and pulse electric field technology, are effective in reducing the alpha-oligosaccharides and other anti-nutritional factors, eventually lowering cooking time for legumes. Extrusion technology used for innovative development of legume-enriched products, including snacks, breakfast cereals and puffs, baking and pasta, represents a strategic way to promote legume consumption. Culinary skills such as legume salads, legume sprouts, stews, soups, hummus, and the development of homemade cake recipes using legume flour could represent effective ways to promote legume consumption. This review aims to highlight the nutritional and health effects associated with legume consumption, and strategies to improve their digestibility and nutritional profile. Additionally, proper educational and culinary approaches aimed to improve legumes intake are discussed.

Preferences for dietary oils and fats in cooking and food preparation methods: a cross-sectional analysis of Australian adults

Dietary oils and fats contain different fatty acid compositions that are associated with cardiometabolic disease risk. Despite their influence on disease outcomes, the types of dietary oils and fats predominately used in Australian households remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of dietary oils and fats in cooking and food preparation in Australia. Adults living in Australia completed a cross-sectional online survey outlining their current household oil and fat use from July to December 2021. The survey was disseminated via social media platforms and included questions about the types of dietary oils and fats used for different cooking methods and the perceived motivators for choosing the main household oil. A total of 1248 participants responded to the survey. Participants were mostly female (91·6 %) aged between 25 and 44 years (56·7 %). The majority of participants (84·5 %) reported using some form of olive oil as their main source of oil for cooking and food preparation. Almost two-thirds of the sample (65·4 %) reported using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), mainly in raw food preparation (71·5 %) or savoury baking and roasting (58 %). Fewer households reported using rice bran oil (4·6 %), canola oil (4·3 %) and vegetable oil (1·8 %). Almost half of all participants (49·6 %) identified perceived health benefits as the primary motivating factor for their main choice of oil, followed by sensory preference (46·7 %), versatility (10·2 %) and convenience (8·8 %). Australian adults frequently use olive oil, specifically EVOO, as the main oil for cooking and food preparation in the household.

Czech Consumers' Preference for Organic Products in Online Grocery Stores during the COVID-19 Pandemic

A major advantage of online organic produce shopping is the fact that it saves energy and reduces emissions otherwise generated by customers during their time spent on the road and while shopping. Organic products in general positively impact sustainability, the environment, and the regions of their origin along with the social changes in these regions and further rural development. Moreover, these products positively impact the perceived health benefits and quality of food labeled as organic. The Czech Republic has currently seen a rise in organic food purchasing and supply trends. This study maps the factors possibly influencing consumers' decision to go shopping for organic food online. Observed factors include the following demographic characteristics of consumers (respondents): gender, age, education, household income, number of children in the household and number of household members. A total of 757 respondents from the Czech Republic from September 2020 to December 2020 took part in the research. Logistic regression, used for data processing, identified the statistically significant effects of education, income and number of household members on online purchases. These conclusions were confirmed by a detailed contingency tables analysis, including the almost monotonous trend of the dependencies, with only minor deviations in a maximum of one category. The strongest influence of some categories on the emergence of partial dependencies was found by residue analysis. The research confirmed that the frequency of online grocery shopping increases significantly with increasing education and income of respondents and decreases with increasing the number of household members. Most respondents apparently shop for groceries online because of time savings, better product choice and more convenient and easier search.