The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased food insecurity in the United States (US). The objective of this study was to understand the early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among low-income adults in the US as social distancing measures began to be implemented. On 19–24 March 2020 we fielded a national, web-based survey (53% response rate) among adults with <250% of the federal poverty line in the US (N = 1478). Measures included household food security status and COVID-19-related basic needs challenges. Overall, 36% of low-income adults in the US were food secure, 20% had marginal food security, and 44% were food insecure. Less than one in five (18.8%) of adults with very low food security reported being able to comply with public health recommendations to purchase two weeks of food at a time. For every basic needs challenge, food-insecure adults were significantly more likely to report facing that challenge, with a clear gradient effect based on severity of food security. The short-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are magnifying existing disparities and disproportionately affecting low-income, food-insecure households that already struggle to meet basic needs. A robust, comprehensive policy response is needed to mitigate food insecurity as the pandemic progresses.
Objective: To examine national patterns in cooking frequency and diet quality among adults in the USA, overall and by weight-loss intention. Design: Analysis of cross-sectional 24 h dietary recall and interview data. Diet quality measures included total kilojoules per day, grams of fat, sugar and carbohydrates per day, fast-food meals per week, and frozen/pizza and ready-toeat meals consumed in the past 30 d. Multivariable regression analysis was used to test associations between frequency of cooking dinner per week (low (0-1), medium (2-5) and high (6-7)), dietary outcomes and weight-loss intention. Overall, compared with low cookers (0-1 times/week), a high frequency of cooking dinner (6-7 times/week) was associated with lower consumption of daily kilojoules (9054 v. 9627 kJ, P = 0·002), fat (81 v. 86 g, P = 0·016) and sugar (119 v. 135 g, P < 0·001). Individuals trying to lose weight consumed fewer kilojoules than those not trying to lose weight, regardless of household cooking frequency (2111 v. 2281 kJ/d, P < 0·006). Conclusions: Cooking dinner frequently at home is associated with consumption of a healthier diet whether or not one is trying to lose weight. Strategies are needed to encourage more cooking among the general population and help infrequent cookers better navigate the food environment outside the home. Keywords Home cooking frequencyDiet quality Weight-loss intention AdultsAmericans are cooking less and relying more on food prepared away from home, which is typically more energy dense and of lower nutritional value (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6) . Both the decline in cooking and the increase in prepared food consumption are associated with the rise in obesity, which affects approximately one-third of adults (4,6,7) . Americans spend less time cooking now than in the past (8)(9)(10) and this, in combination with greater reliance on prepared convenience foods, fast foods and other foods prepared away from home, is associated with poorer diet quality (9)(10)(11) . A variety of explanations have been identified to explain declines in cooking, including lack of access to healthy foods, time and price constraints and lack of knoweldge or confidence in cooking skills (12,13) . Female participation in the workforce outside the home is often cited as a primary determinant of declining cooking frequency as women (and mothers in particular) spend less time cooking than in the past (8,10,14,15) . A recent study of demographic patterns in home cooking frequency found that cooking was associated with socio-economic status; adults with low socio-economic status were more likely to cook frequently or not at all (16) . To date, little research has focused on the complex relationship between cooking frequency and diet qualityan important area of inquiry given evidence suggesting that meals at home increasingly include prepared or semiprepared items (17)(18)(19) .Also missing from the literature is research examining whether cooking is associated with weight-loss intention. Several studies have compared the effectiven...
As of this writing, more than 177 000 Americans have died of COVID-19, and nearly 6 million cases have been confirmed in the United States. The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated serious disparities along racial/ethnic and socioeconomic lines with low-income Americans and Black and Hispanic Americans being the most likely to get sick and die from COVID-19. But the case counts, infection rates, and deaths are just the tip of the iceberg. The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has already led to devastating consequences for millions of Americans who were struggling to make ends meet and will continue to exert lasting damages disproportionately felt by low-income Americans and communities of color. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print September 24, 2020: e1–e3. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305953 )
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