College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USA.
Data Analytics, McDaniel College, College Hill, Westminster, MD 21157, USA.
Nutrients. 2024 Sep 19;16(18):3164. doi: 10.3390/nu16183164.
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the quality and quantity of people's food consumption.
This study aimed to explore the dietary shifts among different racial groups resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on changes in consumption across various food categories.
This cross-sectional study included a sample of 10,050 urban residents aged 40-100 years across the United States. Dietary patterns among African American, Asian, Hispanic, and White populations were assessed before and since the pandemic (retrospective condition) using the Dietary Screening Tool (DST). The DST investigates consumption trends in food groups aligned with the MyPlate guidelines, plus fat, sugar, and sweet (FSS) intake and processed meats.
This study found significant shifts in food consumption patterns among racial groups since COVID-19. The data indicate that African American individuals largely reduced their consumption of several food groups compared to White individuals, with a 43% decrease in processed meats, 42% in dairy, 36% in lean protein, 21% in fruit, 17% in grains, and 15% in FSS, although their vegetable consumption did not significantly decrease. African American individuals also consumed 66% less processed meat, 57% less dairy, and 30% less lean protein in comparison to Asian individuals. Hispanic individuals also showed a tendency to reduce their consumption more than White individuals, with a 34% decrease in dairy, 28% in vegetables, and 24% in fruit. In contrast, Asian individuals consumed 37% less FSS and 34% less grains than White individuals. Additionally, when compared to Asian individuals, Hispanic individuals consumed 49% less dairy and 47% less processed meat. The findings also revealed that African American individuals were the most nutritionally vulnerable group since the pandemic. Specifically, they were 38% and 35% more likely to be considered at nutritional risk than Asians and White participants, respectively.
These findings illuminate the considerable dietary shifts induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasize the critical need to address the racial disparities in nutritional vulnerability and public health policy.
COVID-19 大流行从根本上改变了人们的食物消费质量和数量。
本研究旨在探讨 COVID-19 大流行导致不同种族群体的饮食变化，重点关注各种食物类别消费的变化。
本横断面研究纳入了美国 10050 名年龄在 40-100 岁的城市居民。使用膳食筛选工具（DST）评估了非裔美国人、亚洲人、西班牙裔和白人在大流行前和大流行期间（回顾性条件）的饮食模式。DST 调查了与 MyPlate 指南一致的食物组、脂肪、糖和甜味（FSS）摄入以及加工肉类的消费趋势。
本研究发现 COVID-19 以来种族群体的食物消费模式发生了显著变化。数据表明，与白人相比，非裔美国人大量减少了几种食物的消费，加工肉类减少了 43%，奶制品减少了 42%，瘦肉蛋白减少了 36%，水果减少了 21%，谷物减少了 17%，FSS 减少了 15%，尽管他们的蔬菜消费并没有明显减少。与亚洲人相比，非裔美国人还减少了 66%的加工肉类、57%的奶制品和 30%的瘦肉蛋白。此外，与白人相比，西班牙裔人也表现出减少消费的趋势，奶制品减少了 34%，蔬菜减少了 28%，水果减少了 24%。相比之下，亚洲人比白人减少了 37%的 FSS 和 34%的谷物。此外，与亚洲人相比，西班牙裔人消费的奶制品减少了 49%，加工肉类减少了 47%。研究结果还表明，非裔美国人是大流行以来营养最脆弱的群体。具体来说，他们分别比亚洲人和白人参与者更有可能被认为处于营养风险状态的可能性高 38%和 35%。
这些发现阐明了 COVID-19 大流行引起的饮食变化，并强调了解决营养脆弱性和公共卫生政策中种族差异的迫切需要。
