Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Healthy Diet and Nutrition during the COVID-19 Pandemic"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland
Interests: nutrition; diet; metabolic disorders; vitamins deficiency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition habits are one of the most important factors influencing health. Rational nutrition, which follows some general rules concerning both quality and quantity of food eaten, is a major part of lifestyle, which due to the COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly been changed, including changes in eating patterns, sleeping habits, and physical activity. It would promote sedentary behaviors that affect mental and physical health and lead to an increased risk of obesity. On the other hand, inadequate diet and infectious diseases can lead to malnutrition. This explains why during the COVID-19 pandemic the nutritional status of individuals, especially those with chronic diseases, has been used as a measure of resilience toward destabilization. Optimal nutrition and specific nutrient intake have some impacts on the immune system through gene expression, cell activation, and signaling molecule modification. In addition, various dietary ingredients are determinants of gut microbial composition and subsequently create the immune responses in the body.

I invite you to send manuscripts related to the assessment of nutrition mode and nutritional status of individuals with specific health problems, eating habits and lifestyle changes, and over- and undernutrition of patients with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Małgorzata Godala
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

diet
nutrition
nutrition mode
nutritional status
deficiency
eating disorders
eating habits
COVID-19 pandemic
undernutrition
overnutrition
disease specific nutrition
lifestyle

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Open AccessArticle

Healthy Food Prices Increased More Than the Prices of Unhealthy Options during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Concurrent Challenges to the Food System

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3146; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043146 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3531

Abstract

Food prices have escalated due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global food systems, and other regional shocks and stressors including climate change and war. Few studies have applied a health lens to identify the most affected foods. This study aimed to assess costs and affordability of habitual (unhealthy) diets and recommended (healthy, equitable and more sustainable) diets and their components in Greater Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 2019 to 2022 using the Healthy Diets Australian Standardised Affordability and Pricing protocol. Affordability was determined for reference households at three levels of income: median, minimum wage, and welfare-dependent. The recommended diet cost increased 17.9%; mostly in the last year when the prices of healthy foods, such as fruit, vegetables and legumes, healthy fats/oils, grains, and meats/alternatives, increased by 12.8%. In contrast, the cost of the unhealthy foods and drinks in the habitual diet ‘only’ increased 9.0% from 2019 to 2022, and 7.0% from 2021 to 2022. An exception was the cost of unhealthy take-away foods which increased by 14.7% over 2019–2022. With government COVID-19-related payments, for the first time recommended diets were affordable for all and food security and diets improved in 2020. However, the special payments were withdrawn in 2021, and recommended diets became 11.5% less affordable. Permanently increasing welfare support and providing an adequate minimum wage, while keeping basic, healthy foods GST-free and increasing GST to 20% on unhealthy foods, would improve food security and diet-related health inequities. Development of a Consumer Price Index specifically for healthy food would help highlight health risks during economic downturns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Diet and Nutrition during the COVID-19 Pandemic)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Behaviors, Serum 25(OH)D Levels and Quality of Life in Women with Osteoporotic Disorders

Małgorzata Godala

Ewa Sewerynek

and

Ewelina Gaszyńska

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 17023; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417023 - 18 Dec 2022

Viewed by 876

Abstract

Data obtained in recent years clearly demonstrate the aging process of European populations. Consequently, the incidence of osteoporosis has been rising. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of life (QoL) of women with osteoporosis. A total of 260 women participated in this study. The patient group consisted of 170 women with osteoporotic disorders. The control group consisted of 90 healthy women. Participants’ quality of life was measured with the Qualeffo-41 Questionnaire. The total 25(OH)D concentration level was assessed with an assay using the chemiluminescent immunoassay. To assess the pain level, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used. To assess dietary behaviors, data were obtained by a 13-item Food Frequency Questionnaire. To assess the nutrition knowledge of participants, the Beliefs and Eating Habits Questionnaire was used. Based on the frequency of food intake, participants were classified into three patterns of behavior, i.e., Prudent, Western, and Not Prudent-Not Western. The patients assessed their quality of life as average (36.6 ± 19.9 points). The most favorable scores were obtained in the domains of “Ability to do jobs around the house” and “Mobility”. The worst rated domain among the respondents was “Mental function”. There were significant differences identified in quality of life depending on diet, nutritional knowledge, comorbidities and occurrence of fractures in the subjects. The individuals in the “Prudent” group reported a significantly higher quality of life as compared to the “Not Prudent-Not Western” and “Western” groups and those with high nutritional knowledge as compared to those with moderate and low. Lower quality of life was also observed among women with comorbidities and with bone fractures. Depending on serum 25(OH)D levels, poorer quality of life was characterized women with vitamin D deficiency. Patient education, implementation of effective methods aimed at alleviating pain and maintaining the optimal concentration of vitamin D can help improve the quality of life in patients with osteoporotic disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Diet and Nutrition during the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Displaying articles 1-2

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Healthy Diet and Nutrition during the COVID-19 Pandemic"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (2 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI