ABSTRACT
COVID-19 caused profound societal changes to cope rapidly with the new circumstances. The food market changed its quantity, quality, form, and frequency dynamics. Consequently, food-eating habits and lifestyles like physical exercise likely experienced changes. An online-based survey was conducted between June 2020 and January 2021 in the metropolitan regions of Rhine Ruhr Metropolis (RRM), Greater São Paulo (GSP), other metropolitan regions in São Paulo state (oMRSP), other Brazilian metropolitan regions (oBRMR), and the remaining urban areas in both countries (oUA), representing different contexts of Brazil and Germany. We assessed self-reported changes in physical activity level, diet quality, self-reported eating habits, and buying groceries during the first year of the pandemic. In Germany, indoor and outdoor activities increased for 34% of the respondents, while in Brazil, there was a decrease in physical activity for 50% of the participants. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scored higher among Brazilians (16.8) than Germans (15.2) on a 0-29 HEI scale. Increased awareness of healthy and sustainable eating habits was observed in GSP (0.7), oMRSP (0.63), oBRMR (0.7), and oUA (0.68) on a scale from no change (0) to change (1). In RRM, an increase in convenience foods was noticed (0.86). Participants reported discomfort with food purchasing due to hygiene measures and avoided going to the supermarket (0.7 on average in Brazil and 0.58 for females using the same 0-1 scale). Also, food supply at the grocery shops was reported to be often unavailable and in lower quantities. A real-time assessment of self-reported changes in eating habits and lifestyle during the lockdown in 2020 in different contexts is insightful for rethinking strategies to improve conditions in the post-COVID-19 era and prepare for future pandemics.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Several actions in the realm of public policies and programs have been implemented worldwide to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. As Brazil and many parts of the world are marked by regional, cultural, and social inequalities, risk communication and assimilation of protection recommendations by the public may be erratic, hampering the proper measurement of their effectiveness. SCOPE AND APPROACH: Even though transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by foods is unlikely, this work aimed to evaluate the population's adherence to the recommended food hygiene and personal protection measures to prevent COVID-19. An online survey containing questions on food hygiene and personal protection was publicly disseminated via internet and social networks. Data from 3000 respondents were collected and discussed herein.Key findings and conclusions: Most respondents adopted the recommended hygienic and personal protection measures to avoid contamination with SARS-CoV-2. However, some important flaws were detected, such as lack of use of face masks when in public places (6%), improper hand washing and sanitizing (10-12%) and use of incorrect products for food or environment cleaning and sanitization (28%), indicating that adequate risk communication and preventive recommendations must continue in order to avoid contamination with the coronavirus. The heighten awareness with food hygiene during the pandemic may have an enduring positive effect on food safety.