Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, Food Acquisition Behavior, and Food Insecurity Before and After the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout.

Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9505213 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1550-5022 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10784659 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Public Health Manag Pract Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2003- : Hagerstown, MD : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Original Publication: Frederick, MD : Aspen Publishers, c1995-

Vegetables* ; Fruit*/supply & distribution ; COVID-19*/prevention & control ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; Food Insecurity* ; SARS-CoV-2*; Humans ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; New York/epidemiology ; Food Supply/statistics & numerical data ; COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Adolescent ; Feeding Behavior/psychology ; Aged ; Pandemics/prevention & control

Objectives: To assess changes in food acquisition behavior, food insecurity, and dietary behavior and identify factors associated with fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption during the transitional period (before and after the initial vaccine rollout for all adults) of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design: Successive independent samples design. Online surveys were conducted from October 2020 to February 2021 (time 1, before the vaccine rollout) and from October 2021 to December 2021 (time 2, after the vaccine rollout). Descriptive analysis examined changes in food sources, food security, and daily FV consumption in cup equivalents (CEs) from time 1 to time 2. A multivariable logistic regression analysis examined factors associated with FV consumption.
Setting: The Capital Region of New York State.
Participants: 1553 adults 18 years of age and older.
Main Outcome Measure: Meeting the 2020-2025 MyPlate daily FV consumption recommendations.
Results: There were statistically significant (P < .05) increases in the use of supermarkets, eat-in restaurants, farmers' markets, and convenience stores from time 1 to time 2. Food insecurity (40.1% vs 39.4%) and FV consumption (2.6 CE vs 2.4 CE) slightly declined but not significantly. Home food procurement such as gardening and foraging (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.08-2.37) and shopping at food co-op/health food stores (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.07-2.49) were significantly associated with the FV outcome, and these relationships were not modified by food security status.
Conclusions: The present study highlights the importance of food sources in understanding adult dietary behavior during the transitional period of the pandemic. Continuing efforts to monitor access to food sources, food insecurity, and dietary behavior are warranted as various COVID-related emergency food assistance measures have expired.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

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0 (COVID-19 Vaccines)

Date Created: 20240613 Date Completed: 20240613 Latest Revision: 20240613

20240614

10.1097/PHH.0000000000001946

38870372