Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diet Quality and Food Insecurity: a NutriQuébec Sub-study

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diet Quality and Food Insecurity Among Adults From the Province of Québec in Canada: a NutriQuébec Sub-study

The unprecedented confinement and social distancing rules imposed by the fight against COVID-19 has forced the majority of the population worldwide to stay home for periods of time ranging from weeks to months. Eating habits are undoubtedly perturbed during this period, with consequential impact on food security. Therefore, the primary aim of this NutriQuébec sub-study is to document the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on diet quality and food insecurity of adults in the province of Québec in Canada.

NutriQuébec is a web-based prospective cohort study launched in June 2019 whose primary aim is to provide data for the evaluation of the Government Health Prevention Policy on the Québec population's eating habits over the years (NCT04140071). Participants of NutriQuébec are invited to complete on a web-based platform nine core questionnaires on a yearly basis. Questionnaires assess several dimensions related to lifestyle, including eating habits and physical activity habits, as well as a large number of personal characteristics and global health status.

For the purpose of this sub-study, NutriQuebec will invite the 2465 active participants who completed the first-year questionnaires prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to fill out again those questionnaires during the peak period of the confinement period in April and May, 2020. This NutriQuébec sub-study will provide invaluable data on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts diet quality and food insecurity of adults in the province of Québec.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Eating Habits

Detailed Description

The 2465 active participants of NutriQuébec who completed the first-year questionnaires prior to the COVID-19 pandemic will be invited to provide informed consent to participate in this sub-study. Once having consented, participants will be invited to complete the core questionnaires by logging into their personal and secured account. Participants will have a three-week period to complete the questionnaires, from April 16 to May 7, 2020.

Core questionnaires in NutriQuébec assess lifestyle habits including eating habits, physical activity habits, sleep quality, tobacco, alcohol and drug habits as well as pandemic behaviors, personal characteristics, food insecurity, health status and health-related quality of life. Most of these questionnaires are based on a one-month recall timeframe, with the exception of the eating habits questionnaires, which is in the form of repeated 24-h recall. For the purpose of this NutriQuébec substudy, questionnaires were adapted to focus on habits during the last 7 days of questionnaire completion, to reflect more specifically the confinement period.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 2465

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Québec, Canada, G1V0A6
    • Universite Laval

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults living in the province of Québec (Canada)

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged 18 and over with a residential address in Québec (Canada)
• Be able to read and understand French or English
• Have access to Internet (with a computer, electronic tablet or cell phone)
• Have an active email address

Exclusion Criteria:

• None

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in diet quality	Diet quality during the study period will be assessed using dietary intake data from the average of 3 validated Web-based 24-hour recalls (R24W)	0 to 11 months
Change in food insecurity	Food insecurity during the study period will be assessed using the series of questions of the Household Food Security Survey Module from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-2017	0 to 11 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in intake of sodium	Intake of sodium during the study period will be assessed using dietary intake data from the average of 3 validated Web-based 24-hour recalls (R24W)	0 to 11 months
Change in intake of sugar	Intake of sugar during the study period will be assessed using dietary intake data from the average of 3 validated Web-based 24-hour recalls (R24W)	0 to 11 months
Change in intake of saturated fat	Intake of saturated fat during the study period will be assessed using dietary intake data from the average of 3 validated Web-based 24-hour recalls (R24W)	0 to 11 months
Change in intake of vegetables and fruits	Intake of vegetables and fruits during the study period will be assessed using dietary intake data from the average of 3 validated Web-based 24-hour recalls (R24W)	0 to 11 months
Change in intake of dairy products	Intake of dairy products during the study period will be assessed using dietary intake data from the average of 3 validated Web-based 24-hour recalls (R24W)	0 to 11 months
Change in physical activity	Physical activity during the study period will be assessed primarily using the EPIC-Norfolk Work and leisure time physical activity questionnaire, which categorizes participants into one of 4 groups based on physical activity at work and during leisure time: 1- Inactive, 2- Moderately inactive, 3- moderately active, 4- Active.	0 to 11 months
Change in sleep quality	Sleep quality during the study period will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire with a score varying between 0 and 21; lower score indicates a better sleep quality.	0 to 11 months
Change in health-related quality of life	Quality of life during the study period will be assessed using the Short form (SF)-36 health-related quality of life questionnaire, which yields eight subscale scores that are analyzed individually: physical function, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health. Each subscale has a score varying between 0 and 100; higher scores indicate a better quality of life for each individual subscale.	0 to 11 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Laval University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Benoît Lamarche, University Laval

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 16, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 7, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): May 7, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 22, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): May 1, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 5, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2021
• Last Verified: March 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: COVID-19; Eating habits; Web-based prospective cohort study; Lifestyle habits; Health; Diet quality; Food insecurity
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Lung Diseases; COVID-19
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2018-042Phase IIA6/09-04-2020

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No