Browsing by Author "Cuykx I"

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Call for emergency action to restore dietary diversity and protect global food systems in times of COVID-19 and beyond: Results from a cross-sectional study in 38 countries
(Elsevier Ltd, 2023-11-07) Hoteit M; Hoteit R; Aljawaldeh A; Van Royen K; Pabian S; Decorte P; Cuykx I; Teunissen L; De Backer C; Bergheim I; Staltner R; Devine A; Sambell R; Wallace R; Allehdan SS; Alalwan TA; Al-Mannai MA; Ouvrein G; Poels K; Vandebosch H; Maldoy K; Matthys C; Smits T; Vrinten J; DeSmet A; Teughels N; Geuens M; Vermeir I; Proesmans V; Hudders L; De Barcellos MD; Ostermann C; Brock AL; Favieiro C; Trizotto R; Stangherlin I; Mafra AL; Correa Varella MA; Valentova JV; Fisher ML; MacEacheron M; White K; Habib R; Dobson DS; Schnettler B; Orellana L; Miranda-Zapata E; Wen-Yu Chang A; Jiao W; Liu MT; Grunert KG; Christensen RN; Reisch L; Janssen M; Abril-Ulloa V; Encalada L; Kamel I; Vainio A; Niva M; Salmivaara L; Mäkelä J; Torkkeli K; Mai R; Risch PK; Altsitsiadis E; Stamos A; Antronikidis A; Henchion M; McCarthy S; McCarthy M; Micalizzi A; Schulz PJ; Farinosi M; Komatsu H; Tanaka N; Kubota H; Tayyem R; Al-Awwad NJ; Al-Bayyari N; Ibrahim MO; Hammouh F; Dashti S; Dashti B; Alkharaif D; Alshatti A; Al Mazedi M; Mansour R; Naim E; Mortada H; Gutierrez Gomez YY; Geyskens K; Goukens C; Roy R; Egli V; Te Morenga L; Waly M; Qasrawi R; Hamdan M; Sier RA; Al Halawa DA; Agha H; Liria Domínguez MR; Palomares L; Wasowicz G; Bawadi H; Tayyem R; Othman M; Pakari J; Abu Farha A; Abu-El-Ruz R; Petrescu DC; Petrescu Mag RM; Arion F; Vesa SC; Alkhalaf MM; Bookari K; Arrish J; Rahim Z; Kheng R; Ngqangashe Y; Mchiza ZJ-R; Gonzalez-Gross M; Pantoja-Arévalo L; Gesteiro E; Ríos Y; Yiga P; Ogwok P; Ocen D; Bamuwamye M; Al Sabbah H; Taha Z; Ismail LC; Aldhaheri A; Pineda E; Miraldo M; Holford DL; Van den Bulck H
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fragility of the global food system, sending shockwaves across countries' societies and economy. This has presented formidable challenges to sustaining a healthy and resilient lifestyle. The objective of this study is to examine the food consumption patterns and assess diet diversity indicators, primarily focusing on the food consumption score (FCS), among households in 38 countries both before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 37 207 participants (mean age: 36.70 ± 14.79, with 77 % women) was conducted in 38 countries through an online survey administered between April and June 2020. The study utilized a pre-tested food frequency questionnaire to explore food consumption patterns both before and during the COVID-19 periods. Additionally, the study computed Food Consumption Score (FCS) as a proxy indicator for assessing the dietary diversity of households. Findings: This quantification of global, regional and national dietary diversity across 38 countries showed an increment in the consumption of all food groups but a drop in the intake of vegetables and in the dietary diversity. The household's food consumption scores indicating dietary diversity varied across regions. It decreased in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, including Lebanon (p < 0.001) and increased in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries including Bahrain (p = 0.003), Egypt (p < 0.001) and United Arab Emirates (p = 0.013). A decline in the household's dietary diversity was observed in Australia (p < 0.001), in South Africa including Uganda (p < 0.001), in Europe including Belgium (p < 0.001), Denmark (p = 0.002), Finland (p < 0.001) and Netherland (p = 0.027) and in South America including Ecuador (p < 0.001), Brazil (p < 0.001), Mexico (p < 0.0001) and Peru (p < 0.001). Middle and older ages [OR = 1.2; 95 % CI = [1.125–1.426] [OR = 2.5; 95 % CI = [1.951–3.064], being a woman [OR = 1.2; 95 % CI = [1.117–1.367], having a high education (p < 0.001), and showing amelioration in food-related behaviors [OR = 1.4; 95 % CI = [1.292–1.709] were all linked to having a higher dietary diversity. Conclusion: The minor to moderate changes in food consumption patterns observed across the 38 countries within relatively short time frames could become lasting, leading to a significant and prolonged reduction in dietary diversity, as demonstrated by our findings.
Less Food Wasted? Changes to New Zealanders' Household Food Waste and Related Behaviours Due to the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-09-07) Sharp EL; Haszard J; Egli V; Roy R; Te Morenga L; Teunissen L; Decorte P; Cuykx I; De Backer C; Gerritsen S
Food waste is a crisis of our time, yet it remains a data gap in Aotearoa New Zealand’s (NZ’s) environmental reporting. This research contributes to threshold values on NZ’s food waste and seeks to understand the impact of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown on household food waste in NZ. The data presented here form part of the ‘Covid Kai Survey’, an online questionnaire that assessed cooking and food planning behaviours during the 2020 lockdown and retrospectively before lockdown. Of the 3028 respondents, 62.5% threw out food ‘never’/‘rarely’ before lockdown, and this number increased to 79.0% during lockdown. Participants who wasted food less frequently during lockdown were more likely to be older, work less than full-time, and have no children. During lockdown, 30% and 29% of those who ‘frequently’ or ‘sometimes’ struggled to have money for food threw out food ‘sometimes or more’; compared with 20% of those who rarely struggled to have money for food (p < 0.001). We found that lower levels of food waste correlated with higher levels of cooking confidence (p < 0.001), perceived time (p < 0.001), and meal planning behaviours (p < 0.001). Understanding why food waste was generally considerably lower during lockdown may inform future initiatives to reduce food waste, considering socio-economic and demographic disparities.
Seven weeks of home-cooked meals: changes to New Zealanders’ grocery shopping, cooking and eating during the COVID-19 lockdown
(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2021) Gerritsen S; Egli V; Roy R; Haszard J; De Backer C; Teunissen L; Cuykx I; Decorte P; Pabian S; Van Royen K; Te Morenga L
The first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand resulted in disruptions to everyday life, including changes in grocery shopping, cooking and eating. This study aimed to capture changes in behaviours and perceptions of grocery shopping and food preparation during the lockdown, and the extent to which dietary patterns changed during this period. Data were collected in an online survey of 3028 adults (89% women, mean age = 44 years, range 18–87 years, the median time in lockdown = 40 days), during Aotearoa New Zealand's lockdown Alert levels 4 (33.4%) and Level 3 (66.6%). Respondents had decreased enjoyment of grocery shopping and increased home cooking and baking from scratch. There was an overall shift toward an unhealthy dietary pattern, with some respondents reporting increased consumption of sweet snacks (41%), salty snacks (33%), alcohol (33%), and sugary drinks (20%) during the lockdown. Age moderated the effect of lockdown for nearly every measure, with adults aged under 50 years the most likely to report adverse changes to their eating behaviours and diet. Future pandemic responses by government and employers should include public health nutrition policies and mitigate the stress for younger adults and those caring for children at home.
Who We Seek and What We Eat? Sources of Food Choice Inspirations and Their Associations with Adult Dietary Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in New Zealand
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-11-01) Roy R; Gontijo de Castro T; Haszard J; Egli V; Te Morenga L; Teunissen L; Decorte P; Cuykx I; De Backer C; Gerritsen S
Research shows the shaping of food choices often occurs at home, with the family widely recognised as significant in food decisions. However, in this digital age, our eating habits and decision-making processes are also determined by smartphone apps, celebrity chefs, and social media. The 'COVID Kai Survey' online questionnaire assessed cooking and shopping behaviours among New Zealanders during the 2020 COVID-19 'lockdown' using a cross-sectional study design. This paper examines how sources of food choice inspirations (cooking-related advice and the reasons for recipe selection) are related to dietary patterns before and during the lockdown. Of the 2977 participants, those influenced by nutrition and health experts (50.9% before; 53.9% during the lockdown) scored higher for the healthy dietary pattern. Participants influenced by family and friends (35% before; 29% during the lockdown) had significantly higher scores for the healthy and the meat dietary patterns, whereas participants influenced by celebrity cooks (3.8% before; 5.2% during the lockdown) had significantly higher scores in the meat dietary pattern. There was no evidence that associations differed before and during the lockdown. The lockdown was related to modified food choice inspiration sources, notably an increase in 'comforting' recipes as a reason for recipe selection (75.8%), associated with higher scoring in the unhealthy dietary pattern during the lockdown. The lockdown in New Zealand saw an average decrease in nutritional quality of diets in the 'COVID Kai Survey', which could be partly explained by changes in food choice inspiration sources.