Reported Changes in Eating Habits Related to Less Healthy Foods and Beverages during the COVID-19 Pandemic among US Adults

• Published in: Nutrients 2022-01, Vol.14 (3), p.526
• Main Authors: Park, Sohyun, Lee, Seung Hee, Yaroch, Amy L, Blanck, Heidi M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: added sugars; Adult; Adults; Beverages; Body mass index; Censuses; Coffee; Cookies; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 pandemic; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dairy products; Desserts; Drinking; Eating; Eating behavior; Education; Energy Drinks; Ethnicity; Family income; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food; Habits; Health care; Hispanic people; Households; Humans; Ice cream; Male; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Groups; Nutrition Surveys; Obesity; Pandemics; Public health; Response rates; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Snack foods; Sociodemographics; Statistical analysis; Stress; Sugar; sugar-sweetened beverage; Underweight; unhealthy snacks; US adults
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu14030526

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered stress, anxiety, and disruption to many individuals’ daily lives, which might impact eating habits. Objective: To examine changes in eating habits related to less healthy foods and beverages during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic among US adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants/setting: Authors used SummerStyles data gathered in June 2020 among 3916 US adults (≥18 years). Main outcome measures: The outcome of interest was the reported frequency of consuming more (1) unhealthy snacks and desserts including chips, cookies, and ice cream and (2) sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) like regular soda, fruit drinks, sports/energy drinks, sweetened coffee/teas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses were categorized as Never/Rarely, Sometimes, or Often/Always. Explanatory variables were sociodemographics, weight status, and census regions. Statistical analyses performed: We used multinomial regressions to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for Sometimes or Often/Always consuming more unhealthy snacks/desserts (vs. Never/Rarely); and Sometimes or Often/Always more SSBs (vs. Never/Rarely). Results: Overall, 36% of adults reported sometimes consuming more unhealthy snacks/desserts; 16% did so often/always. Twenty-two percent of adults reported sometimes drinking more SSBs; 10% did so often/always. Factors significantly associated with higher odds of reporting often/always consuming more unhealthy snacks/desserts were younger adults (AOR range = 1.51−2.86 vs. adults ≥65 years), females (AOR = 1.58 vs. males), non-Hispanic Black (AOR = 1.89 vs. non-Hispanic White), lower household income (AOR = 2.01 for