Ecology of Food and Nutrition (EFN) promotes scholarly discussion and engagement on the holistic and cross-cultural dimensions of food and nutrition. Articles published in this journal focus on foods and food systems in terms of their utilization to satisfy human nutritional needs and improve health and well-being. The journal also publishes articles that examine how ecological, social, and cultural factors influence food availability, choices, and consumption, food cultures, and nutrition. Only a handful of journals publish articles that explicitly address the intersections of food and nutrition, biology and culture, and policy and practice from a holistic and global perspective. It is this kind of scholarship that EFN seeks to promote. The current issue of EFN includes six articles based on studies conducted in Canada, Mexico, Turkey, and the United States. These articles focus on a range of topics, including the relationship between stress and food consumption, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food availability and stress, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and edible plant diversity.
The article by Alexiuk and colleagues focuses on food and nutritional insecurity among newcomer youth in Manitoba, Canada. The authors collected cross-sectional data using an online survey on food intake, eating behaviors, and self-reported health status among 1,347 youth. This is one of the few studies in Canada to directly ask youth about their experiences of food insecurity. It concludes that food security by itself is not enough for optimal health. Nutritional security plays a critical role in optimal health. Based on these findings, the authors advocate for practical-based educational programs in schools focusing on healthy cooking and eating.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused food insecurity and hunger among millions of people around the world. To prevent the spread of the disease, several strategies – physical distancing, school closures, lockdowns, etc. – were mandated. These mandates excacerbated food and nutritional challenges that households with food insecurity were already facing. The article by Bradley describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in Buffalo, New York – a region in the United States with significant food insecurity. The author used data collected through surveys and qualitative interviews with users of food pantries to understand their experiences with food insecurity during the peak time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors argue that effective emergency food responses should also focus on other barriers, including transportation, stigma, and chronic poverty in households facing chronic food insecurity.
The article by Pascual-Mendoza and colleagues presents the results of a community-based study examining the relationship between edible plant diversity and nutritional status of women in a Zapotec municipality in Oaxaca, Mexico. The authors collected sociodemographic and nutritional data to assess women’s dietary diversity score (WDDS), nutritional intake, and body mass index (BMI). The article discusses these results in the context of seasonality and its impact of women’s dietary diversity in the region.
Göbel and colleagues report the results of a study using demographic and health data to examine the relationship between social media addiction and emotional eating during the COVID-19 quarantine period in Ankara, Turkey. The authors report that slightly more than half of the study participants with emotional eating tendencies were obese and that the social media addiction scores were higher for individuals with emotional eating tendencies than those without emotional eating tendencies.
The article by Gupta and colleagues presents the results of an exploratory study examining the use of Electronic Benefit Transfer Card (EBT) for online grocery shopping by Head Start caregivers in Columbus, Ohio. This study is especially timely considering the increased use of online shopping during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The authors conducted focus group discussion sessions engaging a convenient sample caregivers of children enrolled in the Head Start program. The authors report that most participants did not use online grocery shopping citing several barriers. However, they were open to the idea of online shopping.
The article by Üstün and Yilmaz presents the results of a study examining the stress, anxiety, and eating conditions of health personnel working clinics providing care to COVID-19 patients. The authors focused on understanding how health personnel interacted with patients and each other in the time of high stress and anxiety. The authors collected demographic and anthropometric data on 357 healthcare providers working in a state hospital in Ankara, Turkey. In addition, the authors collected data on eating behavior and levels of anxiety and burnout among health personnel. This study focuses on a critical issue – the effect of anxiety and stress on eating behavior and burnout among healthcare providers. It provides a direction for future research to examine whether addressing predictors of burnout and emphasizing mitigators could prevent a potential health-care workforce crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.