Nutrition-Related Information on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Posts by Popular Australian Accounts.

Social media is a popular source of nutrition information and can influence food choice. Instagram is widely used in Australia, and nutrition is frequently discussed on Instagram. However, little is known about the content of nutrition information published on Instagram. The aim of this study was to examine the content of nutrition-related posts from popular Australian Instagram accounts. Australian Instagram accounts with ≥100,000 followers, that primarily posted about nutrition, were identified. All posts from included accounts, from September 2020 to September 2021, were extracted and posts about nutrition were included. Post captions were analysed using Leximancer, a content analysis software, to identify concepts and themes. Text from each theme was read to develop a description and select illustrative quotes. The final sample included 10,964 posts from 61 accounts. Five themes were identified: (1) recipes; (2) food and nutrition practices; (3) body goals; (4) food literacy and (5) cooking at home. Recipes and practical information about nutrition and food preparation are popular on Instagram. Content about weight loss and physique-related goals is also popular and nutrition-related Instagram posts frequently include marketing of supplements, food and online programs. The popularity of nutrition-related content indicates that Instagram may be a useful health-promotion setting.

Changes in food and nutrient intakes in Korean adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: data from the 2011-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

OBJECTIVES: This study was to examine the changes in dietary habits and food and nutrient intakes between before (2019) and during (2020) the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). METHODS: A total of 54,995 participants aged ≥19 years who participated in the 2011-2020 KNHANES were included. The 10-year trend (2011-2020) and differences between 2019 and 2020 for dietary habits and food and nutrient intakes were estimated using SAS. RESULTS: In the past 10 years (2011-2020), the dietary habits (increase in skipping meals and eating out), food intake (increase in meats and decrease in fruits and vegetables), and nutrient intake (increase in fat and decrease in sodium) in adults have changed. When comparing between 2019 and 2020, there were 4.6%p decrease in the eating out more than once a day. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the intakes of food, energy and most of nutrients between 2019 and 2020, except for the proportion of energy intake from fat (1.0%p increase) and carbohydrate (1.0%p decrease). CONCLUSIONS: Although a change in dietary habits from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic was observed, food and nutrient intakes have not deteriorated markedly and appear similar to the trends in the past 10 years. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to monitor the effects of changes in dietary habits on health as well as food and nutrient intakes.

Physical activity, food and social distancing of people with down syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic / Atividade física, alimentação e distanciamento social de pessoas com síndrome de down durante a pandemia da COVID-19 / Actividad física, alimentación y distanciamiento social de personas con síndrome de down durante la pandemia COVID-19

Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar o distanciamento social, o nível de atividade física e a alimentação de pessoas com síndrome de Down durante a pandemia de COVID-19. Participaram do estudo 24 pessoas por meio de um formulário eletrônico com 45 questões fechadas. Entre os resultados encontrados verificou-se que após uma média de 69,87 dias do início das medidas de afastamento e redução de convívio para controle da pandemia houve diminuição do nível de atividade física e da qualidade da alimentação, bem como o aumento do índice de massa corporal. Verificou-se que as pessoas com síndrome de Down desenvolveram, em distanciamento social, características que po-dem agravar um possível quadro de COVID-19 e a maioria tem contato com pessoas que não estão reduzindo a interação com outras pessoas. Concluiu-se que ações voltadas para as pessoas com síndrome de Down são urgentes para que essas não fiquem ainda mais expostas às consequências da pandemia (AU0.

This research aims to analyze the social distancing, the level of physical activity and the diet of people with Down syndrome, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 24 people participated in this study by means of an electronic form with 45 closed questions. Among the results found, it was found that after an average of 69.87 days of distancing, there was a decrease in the level of physical activity and quality of food, as well as an increase in the body mass index. It was found that people with Down syndrome have characteristics that can aggravate a possible COVID-19 condition and most have contact with people who are not in distancing. It was concluded that actions are urgently needed so that people with Down syndrome are not even more exposed in this pandemic moment (AU).

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar el distancia-miento social, el nivel de actividad física y la dieta de las personas con síndrome de Down durante la pandemia de COVID-19. 24 personas par-ticiparon en este estudio a través de un formulario electrónico con 45 preguntas cerradas. Entre los resultados encontrados, se encontró que luego de un promedio de 69,87 días de distanciamiento social se presen-tó una disminución en el nivel de actividad física y la calidad de la alimen-tación, así como un aumento en el índice de masa corporal. Se encon-tró que las personas con síndrome de Down tienen características que pueden agravar una posible condición de COVID-19 y la mayoría tiene contacto con personas que no están distanciamiento social. Se concluyó que se necesitan acciones urgentes para que las personas con Síndrome de Down no estén aún más expuestos en este momento de pandemia (AU).

Scoping review protocol exploring the relationship between food insecurity, mental health and diet intake among adolescents across the globe.

INTRODUCTION: Studies, exploring the effect of food insecurity on physical and mental health, have shown that food insecurity is associated with lower self-reports of physical and mental health. With the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity has increased leading to higher risks of poor mental health. Despite evidence of the negative implications of food insecurity on mental health, there is a paucity of research on these variables for adolescents specifically. The current evidence shows there is a gap in adolescent centred research linking mental health and food insecurity globally. Adolescence is a crucial period of development where habits, nutritional inadequacies linked to food insecurity and mental health problems formed due to these inadequacies can be conveyed into adulthood. The aim of this study is to systematically scope the literature exploring the relationship between mental health, food (in)security and/or diet intake of adolescents. METHODS: This review will be guided by Arksey and O'Malley's extended framework. The search strategy was developed by two of the authors and will be used to search literature from January 2012 to December 2022 in PubMed, Academic search complete, PsychARTICLES, Google, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of science core collection. Searching published and unpublished literature will be done in the chosen databases. References used in included literature will be reviewed for additional studies/sources. Articles will be assessed for eligibility by two reviewers, and any discrepancies reviewed by a third reviewer. The inclusion and exclusion criteria will be used for screening. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram will be used to document the selection process. A narrative summary and descriptive analysis will be used to summarise and report the extracted data. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approval for this study has been granted by the University of the Western Cape Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BM21/8/3). Strict measures will be followed to ensure methodological rigour.

Digital food and beverage marketing appealing to children and adolescents: An emerging challenge in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Digital food marketing is increasing and has an impact on children's behaviour. Limited research has been performed in Latin America. OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent and nature of Mexican children's and adolescents' exposure to digital food and beverage marketing during recreational internet use. METHODS: A crowdsourcing strategy was used to recruit 347 participants during the COVID-19 lockdown. Participants completed a survey and recorded 45 minutes of their device's screen time using screen-capture software. Food marketing was identified and nutrition information for each marketed product was collected. Healthfulness of products was determined using the Pan-American Health Organization and the Mexican Nutrient Profile Model (NPM). A content analysis was undertaken to assess marketing techniques. RESULTS: Overall, 69.5% of children and adolescents were exposed to digital food marketing. Most frequently marketed foods were ready-made foods. Children and adolescents would typically see a median of 2.7 food marketing exposures per hour, 8 daily exposures during a weekday and 6.7 during a weekend day. We estimated 47.3 food marketing exposures per week (2461 per year). The most used marketing technique was brand characters. Marketing was appealing to children and adolescents yet most of the products were not permitted for marketing to children according to the NPMs (>90%). CONCLUSIONS: Mexican children and adolescents were exposed to unhealthy digital food marketing. The Government should enforce evidence-based mandatory regulations on digital media.

Reframing the local-global food systems debate through a resilience lens.

Despite the growing knowledge that food system solutions should account for interactions and drivers across scales, broader societal debate on how to solve food system challenges is often focused on two dichotomous perspectives and associated solutions: either more localized food systems or greater global coordination of food systems. The debate has found problematic expressions in contemporary challenges, prompting us to revisit the role that resilience thinking can play when faced with complex crises that increase uncertainty. Here we identify four 'aching points' facing food systems that are central points of tension in the local-global debate. We apply the seven principles of resilience to these aching points to reframe the solution space to one that embeds resilience into food systems' management and governance at all scales, supporting transformative change towards sustainable food systems.

Lifestyle, Nutrition, and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits.

Food is the plants and animals we consume, and nutrition is the way in which food influences bodily wellness [...].

Cannabis companies and the sponsorship of scientific research: A cross-sectional Canadian case study.

Corporations across sectors engage in the conduct, sponsorship, and dissemination of scientific research. Industry sponsorship of research, however, is associated with research agendas, outcomes, and conclusions that are favourable to the sponsor. The legalization of cannabis in Canada provides a useful case study to understand the nature and extent of the nascent cannabis industry's involvement in the production of scientific evidence as well as broader impacts on equity-oriented research agendas. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, meta-research study to describe the characteristics of research that reports funding from, or author conflicts of interest with, Canadian cannabis companies. From May to August 2021, we sampled licensed, prominent Canadian cannabis companies, identified their subsidiaries, and searched each company name in the PubMed conflict of interest statement search interface. Authors of included articles disclosed research support from, or conflicts of interest with, Canadian cannabis companies. We included 156 articles: 82% included at least one author with a conflict of interest and 1/3 reported study support from a Canadian cannabis company. More than half of the sampled articles were not cannabis focused, however, a cannabis company was listed amongst other biomedical companies in the author disclosure statement. For articles with a cannabis focus, prevalent topics included cannabis as a treatment for a range of conditions (15/72, 21%), particularly chronic pain (6/72, 8%); as a tool in harm reduction related to other substance use (10/72, 14%); product safety (10/72, 14%); and preclinical animal studies (6/72, 8%). Demographics were underreported in empirical studies with human participants, but most included adults (76/84, 90%) and, where reported, predominantly white (32/39, 82%) and male (49/83, 59%) participants. The cannabis company-funded studies included people who used drugs (37%) and people prescribed medical cannabis (22%). Canadian cannabis companies may be analogous to peer industries such as pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco, and food in the following three ways: sponsoring research related to product development, expanding indications of use, and supporting key opinion leaders. Given the recent legalization of cannabis in Canada, there is ample opportunity to create a policy climate that can mitigate the harms of criminalization as well as impacts of the "funding effect" on research integrity, research agendas, and the evidence base available for decision-making, while promoting high-priority and equity-oriented independent research.

'Remoteness was a blessing, but also a potential downfall': traditional/subsistence and store-bought food access in remote Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study employs a strengths-based approach to assess food access in remote Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying both the negative consequences of the pandemic on store-bought and subsistence/traditional food access and compensatory strategies used. DESIGN: As a part of a larger study on the impacts of COVID-19 on daily life remote Alaskan communities, study data presented here were collected through key informant interviews (KII) and state-wide online surveys from 21 September 2020 to 31 March 2021 among remote Alaska community members. SETTING: This study was conducted with residents of remote communities in Alaska, defined as those off the road system. Remote communities often have small or no grocery stores and rely on subsistence or traditional sources of food. PARTICIPANTS: KII participants (n 36) were majority female (78 %) and Alaska Native (57 %). Survey participants (n 615) were also majority female, 25-54 years old and most had had some post-secondary education or training. RESULTS: Survey and interview data revealed that the pandemic had significant negative impacts on store-bought food access in remote Alaskan communities. Individuals also shared that locally available and wild harvested foods acted as a buffer to some of the loss of access to these store-bought foods, with some people sharing that the harvesting of wild and traditional foods served as a coping strategy during times of pandemic-related stress. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study demonstrate that the remoteness of some Alaskan communities has been both a source of vulnerability and protection in terms of food access.

Opportunities to Promote Food and Nutrition Security as the Federal Public Health Emergency Ends.

This JAMA Forum discusses key changes to the social safety net after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends and provides information regarding the ways health care professionals can support individuals experiencing food and nutrition security.

Reducing Student Exposure to Digital Food and Beverage Marketing: Policy and Practice Recommendations.

Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children and adolescents is pervasive, highly effective, undermines healthy eating, and contributes to health inequities. Expanded use of electronic devices and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency for policy interventions to limit digital food marketing in schools and on school-issued devices. The US Department of Agriculture provides little guidance to schools for how to address digital food marketing. Federal and state privacy protections for children are inadequate. Considering these policy gaps, state and local education authorities can incorporate strategies to reduce digital food marketing into school policies for: content filtering on school networks and on school-issued devices; digital instructional materials; student-owned device use during lunch; and school use of social media to communicate with parents and students. Model policy language is provided. These policy approaches can leverage existing policy mechanisms to address digital food marketing from a variety of sources.

Perspective: Multiomics and Machine Learning Help Unleash the Alternative Food Potential of Microalgae.

Food security has become a pressing issue in the modern world. The ever-increasing world population, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and political conflicts together with climate change issues make the problem very challenging. Therefore, fundamental changes to the current food system and new sources of alternative food are required. Recently, the exploration of alternative food sources has been supported by numerous governmental and research organizations, as well as by small and large commercial ventures. Microalgae are gaining momentum as an effective source of alternative laboratory-based nutritional proteins as they are easy to grow under variable environmental conditions, with the added advantage of absorbing carbon dioxide. Despite their attractiveness, the utilization of microalgae faces several practical limitations. Here, we discuss both the potential and challenges of microalgae in food sustainability and their possible long-term contribution to the circular economy of converting food waste into feed via modern methods. We also argue that systems biology and artificial intelligence can play a role in overcoming some of the challenges and limitations; through data-guided metabolic flux optimization, and by systematically increasing the growth of the microalgae strains without negative outcomes, such as toxicity. This requires microalgae databases rich in omics data and further developments on its mining and analytics methods.

The COVID-19 Pandemic, Rising Inflation, and Their Influence on Dining Out Frequency and Spending.

BACKGROUND: High intake of food away from home is associated with poor diet quality. This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic period and Food Away from Home (FAFH) inflation rate fluctuations influenced dining out behaviors. METHODS: Approximately 2800 individuals in Texas reported household weekly dining out frequency and spending. Responses completed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2019 to early 2020) were compared to the post-COVID-19 period (2021 through mid-2022). Multivariate analysis with interaction terms was used to test study hypotheses. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: From the COVID-19 period (before vs. after), the unadjusted frequency of dining out increased from 3.4 times per week to 3.5 times per week, while the amount spent on dining out increased from $63.90 to $82.20. Once the relationship between dining out (frequency and spending) was adjusted for FAFH interest rate and sociodemographic factors, an increase in dining out frequency post-COVID-19 remained significant. However, the unadjusted increase in dining out spending did not remain significant. Further research to understand the demand for dining out post-pandemic is warranted.

Food Oppression in a Pandemic.

COVID-related racial disparities represent a spectrum of injustices and inequalities. Focusing on food oppression, this essay argues that racism infuses food law and policy in ways that contribute to racially disparate COVID deaths and severe illnesses. USDA nutrition program participants were at a nutritional disadvantage when COVID hit. Yet, government responses focused on food insecurity, not nutritional quality. Racism against a predominantly Black and brown labor force of essential food workers - from fields to meat plants to grocery stores - created tolerance for the administration's failure to protect or compensate some of the country's most vulnerable workers. When COVID-driven supply issues threatened to narrow white people's activities and choices, the favored response was to keep their options open by sacrificing Black and brown workers. A food oppression lens - understanding how corporate interests drive food policy - is necessary to achieve food equality in this pandemic and beyond.

Changes in Online Food Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations With Deprivation: Longitudinal Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Food prepared out of home is typically energy-dense and nutrient-poor. Online food delivery services have become a popular way to purchase such food. The number of accessible food outlets through these services can influence how frequently they are used. Anecdotally, food outlet access through online food delivery services increased in England between 2020 and 2022, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the extent to which this access changed is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate monthly changes in online access to food prepared out of home in England in the context of the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with November 2019 and the extent to which any changes were associated with deprivation. METHODS: In November 2019 and monthly between June 2020 and March 2022, we used automated data collection to construct a data set containing information about all food outlets in England registered to accept orders through the leading online food delivery service. Across postcode districts, we identified the number and percentage of food outlets registered to accept orders and the number that was accessible. We used generalized estimating equations (adjusted for population density, the number of food outlets in the physical food environment, and rural/urban classification) to investigate the change in outcomes compared with prepandemic levels (November 2019). We stratified analyses by deprivation quintile (Q). RESULTS: Across England, the summed number of food outlets registered to accept orders online increased from 29,232 in November 2019 to 49,752 in March 2022. Across postcode districts, the median percentage of food outlets registered to accept orders online increased from 14.3 (IQR 3.8-26.0) in November 2019 to 24.0 (IQR 6.2-43.5) in March 2022. The median number of food outlets accessible online decreased from 63.5 (IQR 16.0-156.0) in November 2019 to 57.0 (IQR 11.0-163.0) in March 2022. However, we observed variation by deprivation. In March 2022, the median number of outlets accessible online was 175.0 (IQR 104.0-292.0) in the most deprived areas (Q5) compared with 27.0 (IQR 8.5-60.5) in the least deprived (Q1). In adjusted analyses, we estimated that the number of outlets accessible online in the most deprived areas was 10% higher in March 2022 compared with November 2019 (incidence rate ratios: 1.10, 95% CI 1.07-1.13). In the least deprived areas, we estimated a 19% decrease (incidence rate ratios: 0.81, 95% CI 0.79-0.83). CONCLUSIONS: The number of food outlets accessible online increased only in the most deprived areas in England. Future research might attempt to understand the extent to which changes in online food access were associated with changes in online food delivery service use and the possible implications on diet quality and health.

Association between diet history and symptoms of individuals having recovered from COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Many studies show that people who eat a balanced diet have stronger immunity. The present work aimed to identify the effects of the diet history of COVID-19 patients having recovered from the disease on the occurrence and severity of symptoms. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 346 individuals aged 20-65 years. The participants' data and answers to an electronic questionnaire regarding their diet history and symptoms were collected. The study focused on four hard symptoms (fever, body pain, cough, and dyspnoea) to investigate the relationship between these symptoms and the consumption of specific immunity foods. RESULTS: Symptoms were reported by 88.1% of the participants eating none of the foods investigated, whereas 85.54% and 85.55% of the individuals with little or intensive food intake, respectively, experienced symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of specific functional foods might slightly reduce the occurrence of some symptoms.

Digital Forms of Commensality in the 21st Century: A Scoping Review.

The social act of eating together has been influenced and mediated by technologies in recent decades. This phenomenon has been investigated in different academic fields, but the topic is still in an incipient dimension, and there is a lack of consensus regarding terminology and definitions. The study aimed to characterize the main scientific findings regarding digital forms of commensality in the 21st century and to identify possible relationships between these practices and public health. A scoping review was conducted to identify papers published in different languages between 2001 and 2021. A total of 104 publications that combined commensality and technology in all contexts were included. Most studies were qualitative; from the Design and Technology field; used social media and video platforms or prototypes/augmented reality gadgets; and used different terms to refer to digital forms of commensality, allowing the analysis of the construction of field definitions over time. The intersections with health were observed from impacts on family/community engagement, culinary skills development, and mental health and eating habits. These practices also structured specific social interactions, such as virtual food communities and commensality, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper indicates the consistent growth of these practices and recommends the development of future research for theoretically and longitudinally deeper evaluations of the impacts of these new ways of eating together, especially regarding their effects on human health.

Modelling of salt intake reduction by incorporation of umami substances into Japanese foods: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence has demonstrated that excess sodium intake is associated with development of several non-communicable diseases. The main source of sodium is salt. Therefore, reducing salt intake in foods is an important global public health effort to achieve sodium reduction and improve health. This study aimed to model salt intake reduction with 'umami' substances among Japanese adults. The umami substances considered in this study include glutamate or monosodium glutamates (MSG), calcium diglutamate (CDG), inosinate, and guanylate. METHODS: A total of 21,805 participants aged 57.8 years on average from the National Health and Nutrition Survey was used in the analysis. First, we employed a multivariable linear regression approach with overall salt intake (g/day) as a dependent variable, adjusting for food items and other covariates to estimate the contribution of salt intake from each food item that was selected through an extensive literature review. Assuming the participants already consume low-sodium products, we considered three scenarios in which salt intake could be reduced with the additional umami substances up to 30%, 60% and 100%. We estimated the total amount of population-level salt reduction for each scenario by age and gender. Under the 100% scenario, the Japan's achievement rates against the national and global salt intake reduction goals were also calculated. RESULTS: Without compromising the taste, the 100% or universal incorporation of umami substances into food items reduced the salt intake of Japanese adults by 12.8-22.3% at the population-level average, which is equivalent to 1.27-2.22 g of salt reduction. The universal incorporation of umami substances into food items changed daily mean salt intake of the total population from 9.95 g to 7.73 g: 10.83 g to 8.40 g for men and 9.21 g to 7.17 g for women, respectively. This study suggested that approximately 60% of Japanese adults could achieve the national dietary goal of 8 g/day, while only 7.6% would meet the global recommendation of 5.0 g/day. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides essential information on the potential salt reduction with umami substances. The universal incorporation of umami substances into food items would enable the Japanese to achieve the national dietary goal. However, the reduced salt intake level still falls short of the global dietary recommendation.