Changes in Life Situations during the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Pandemic and Their Impact on Eating Behaviors for Residents of Europe, Australia as Well as North and South America

Nutritional Behavior in European Countries during COVID-19 Pandemic-A Review

COVID-19 is highly linked with hyperinflammation and dysfunction of the immune cells. Studies have shown that adequate nutrition, a modifiable factor affecting immunity and limiting systemic inflammation, may play an adjunct role in combating the negative consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Due to the global lockdown conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed, among others, to restrictions on fresh food availability and changes in lifestyle and eating behaviors. The aim of this paper was to review the data regarding eating habits in European countries within the general population of adults and some specific subpopulations, including obese, diabetic, and psychiatric patients, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PubMed database and the official websites of medical organizations and associations were searched for the phrases "COVID" and "eating habits". Papers regarding the pediatric population, non-European countries, presenting aggregated data from different countries worldwide, and reviews were excluded. During the COVID-19 pandemic, unhealthy lifestyles and eating behaviors were commonly reported. These included increased snacking, intake of caloric foods, such as sweets, pastries, and beverages, and a decline in physical activity. Data suggest that poor eating habits that create a positive energy balance have persisted over time as an additional post-COVID negative consequence.

Changes in office workers' lived experiences of their own eating habits since working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

In response to the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been little insight into how office workers perceived their own eating behaviour in relation to their new home working environment. The sedentary nature of office-based jobs means that it is crucial that workers in these occupations engage in health behaviours that are beneficial to them. The present study aimed to explore how office workers perceive changes to their own eating behaviour since the transition to working from home (WFH) as a consequence of the pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six volunteer office workers who previously worked in an office environment and who are now WFH. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, allowing the researcher to explore each account and understand their lived experiences. There were five superordinate themes: Healthy eating; time constraints; escaping the office; social cognitions; and food indulgence. Increased snacking behaviour since WFH was a major challenge, which was particularly potent during times of elevated stress. Furthermore, quality of nutrition since WFH appeared to coincide with the participants' wellbeing, such that this was reported as being worst at times of low wellbeing. Future studies must focus on developing strategies to improve the eating behaviours and the general wellbeing of office workers as they continue to WFH. These findings can then be utilised for the development of health promoting behaviours.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Military First Line of Defense against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study during the Second Epidemic Wave in Peru

Few studies have evaluated eating disorders in military personnel engaged in defense activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with eating disorders in military personnel from Lambayeque, Peru. A secondary data analysis was performed among 510 military personnel during the second epidemic wave of COVID-19 in Peru. We used the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) to assess eating disorders. We explored associations with insomnia, food insecurity, physical activity, resilience, fear to COVID-19, burnout syndrome, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and selected sociodemographic variables. Eating disorders were experienced by 10.2% of participants. A higher prevalence of eating disorders was associated with having 7 to 12 months (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.24-7.11) and 19 months or more (PR: 2.62; 95% CI: 1.11-6.17) working in the first line of defense against COVID-19, fear of COVID-19 (PR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.26-3.85), burnout syndrome (PR: 3.73; 95% CI: 1.90-7.33) and post-traumatic stress (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.13-7.83). A low prevalence of eating disorders was found in the military personnel. However, prevention of this problem should be focused on at-risk groups that experience mental health burdens.

Life in a New Normal with a Self-Care Routine: A Cross-Sectional Study of Older Adults' Daily Health Behaviors (DHB) Performance during the Initial Outbreak of COVID-19 in China

For older adults, self-care begins with daily health behaviors (DHB), which refers to a series of basic behaviors beneficial to health in daily life; it is the foundation for promoting health, preventing disease, and maintaining health with or without the support of a healthcare provider. Thus, this study aimed to observe the changes in DHB among older adults when the COVID-19 pan-demic first erupted in China (at the beginning of 2020) and explore the impact factors on self-care routines in daily life. We applied a cross-sectional study among 1256 (83.7%) valid older Chinese from 19 February 2020 to 19 March 2020, the score of DHB changes (mean ± SD, 14.70 ± 2.140; range, 8−18) presented a significant growth (t1256 = 44.636, p < 0.001) during COVID-19. From 3 hierarchical linear regression models, the older Chinese who received a higher education include high school (β = 0.403, 95% CI [0.009, 0.797], p = 0.045) and college degree and above (β = 0.488, 95% CI [0.034, 0.943], p = 0.035), and lived in the eastern China (β = 0.771, 95% CI [0.392, 1.151], p < 0.001) took DHB more frequently. However, the high-risk infection (β = −0.740, 95% CI [−1.248, −0.231], p = 0.004), overweight/obese character (β = −0.265, 95% CI [−0.526, −0.004], p = 0.047), and alcohol consumption (β = −0.350, 95% CI [−0.634, −0.065], p = 0.016) are significant factors in decreasing a senior’s DHB performance. For China, self-care offers a straightforward strategy among the range of measures required to combat COVID-19 and future health threats. In summary, findings in this study can build a foundation for developing healthcare policy and services for the relevant government and departments on prompting DHB and the importance of self-care among the older population.