Finally, the chance to eat healthily: Longitudinal study about food consumption during and after the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

Abstract

With the COVID-19 outbreak, structural constraints and social psychological factors changed the dietary habits of many people. This two-wave longitudinal study performed in Italy aimed to explore people’s perceptions of changes in healthy and unhealthy food consumption before and during the first lockdown and the possible persistence of such changes after its official end, as a function of the number of people cohabiting, negative emotion activation, and individual eating styles. A total of 728 Italian adults completed self-reported food consumption measures and related psychological variables at both time points. In the lockdown period, participants reported an increase in healthy food consumption and involvement in cooking and a decrease in the consumption of junk food. This general pattern was stronger for both young and restrained eaters. The intensity of negative emotions and the number of cohabitants were not associated with the examined behaviour. In the post-lockdown period, the new consumption pattern acquired during the confinement was partially discontinued: participants cut down their healthy food consumption as well as their involvement in food preparation, but they continued to reduce their junk food intake. These results suggest that people’s food consumption patterns can easily improve when the situation is favourable (e.g., more time and opportunities for cooking healthy meals) and offer an interesting theoretical contribution to understanding the factors useful in promoting healthy eating, in the event of a future outbreak.

Recent Advances in Consumer Behavior Theory: Shocks from the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Caso Daniela (2021) conducted a longitudinal study of food consumption during and after the first COVID-19 closure in Italy, and found that food consumption patterns before and after the closure have improved, providing interesting insights into the factors that promote healthy eating during future outbreaks. Theoretical contribution can be seen in [ 71 ]. In addition to healthy diet consumption, many aspects have fueled health awareness.…”

Changes in Eating Habits and Physical Activity after COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns in Italy

“…It is commonly believed that lockdown is a period characterized by home-confinement and consumption of unhealthy foods, creating an obesogenic environment [13,14]. On the contrary, for many people, the increased availability of time was an opportunity to improve their eating habits, partly due to greater involvement in the kitchen [15]. Previous studies demonstrated that a lack of willpower, time constraints, and taste preferences are the main difficulties in people eating healthy [16] It is likely that the lockdowns' substantial impact on people's life induced significant improvements in several nutritional behaviors.…”

Foodborne Toxigenic Agents Investigated in Central Italy: An Overview of a Three-Year Experience (2018–2020)

“…In parallel, food samples prepared or consumed at home increased. Given the peculiar situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the whole of 2020, consumers' habits have inevitably changed [16]. The harsh lockdown restrictions caused the closure of restaurants, schools and company canteens, probably leading to a decrease in cases involving this kind of service.…”