Parent perceptions of changes in eating behavior during COVID-19 of school-aged children from Supplemental Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) eligible households in California

This cross-sectional study examined the associations between parent-reported, perceptions of changes in school-aged children’s (ages 5–18) school meal participation, household cooking, fast food consumption, dietary intake, and weight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents with low-income and school-aged children (n = 1040) were enrolled using quota sampling to approximate the distribution of low-income households and race/ethnicity among California residents who completed an on-line questionnaire developed by the authors. Adjusted multinomial models examined associations between parent-reported changes in school meal participation and time spent cooking, with parent-reported changes in child diet and body weight during COVID-19 (from before March 2020 to January-March 2021). During the pandemic, decreased school meal participation was associated with decreased child’s fast food intake (OR[95 %CI] = 1.47[1.04–2.07]); conversely, increased school meal participation was associated with increased child’s fast food intake (OR[95 %CI] = 1.71[1.09–2.68]). Decreased cooking at home was associated with decreased fruit and vegetable intake (OR[95 %CI] = 2.71[1.62–4.53]), increased sugar-sweetened beverage intake (OR[95 %CI] = 3.83[2.16–6.81]), and increased fast food intake (OR[95 %CI] = 4.09[2.45–6.84]); while increased cooking at home was associated with increased fruit and vegetable (OR[95 %CI] = 2.26[1.59–3.20]), sugar-sweetened beverage (OR[95 %CI] = 1.88[1.20–2.94]), sweets (OR[95 %CI] = 1.46[1.02–2.10]), and salty snack food intake (OR[95 %CI] = 1.87[1.29–2.71]). These parent-reported perceived changes in meal sources during the pandemic for children from low-income California households, and the mixed results in their associations with changes in parent-reported child dietary intake, suggest the need for strengthening policies and programs to support both access to, and healthfulness of, meals from school and home during prolonged school closures

Diets, Food Choices and Environmental Impacts across an Urban-Rural Interface in Northern Vietnam

Human diets and their associated environmental impacts differ across segments of the population. There is evidence that consumer choices of food intake can also affect the overall environmental impacts of a food system. This paper analyzes the environmental impact of diets and food choices across a rural–urban transect in Northern Vietnam by using mixed survey data from 619 adult respondents. The average greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) resulting from producing the daily food intake of adults in the urban and peri-urban districts were similar, while the average in the rural district was lower. Although starchy staples contributed the most to energy intake, pork and beef were the largest contributors to GHGE. Metrics of blue water use were higher for diets of males than those of females in all three districts. Interestingly, the difference in mean diet diversity score between urban and rural households was significant, and females’ diets were more diverse than those of males. As expected, urban households were more likely to buy food, while rural households often produced their own foods. Urban households reported prioritizing personal health and the natural content of food and would increase seafood and fruits if their income were to increase. In rural regions, interventions aimed at reducing undernutrition should address improving diet quality without significant increases to diet-related environmental impacts