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Impact of educational level on changes in dietary and lifestyle factors in relation to mental distress pre–and during COVID-19 pandemic
Individuals with higher educational qualifications (for example, graduate degrees) were presumably more likely to attain a job and financial security during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could affect the dietary and lifestyle choices such individuals can enjoy, and consequently overall mental wellbeing. On the other hand, those who lost their sources of income during the pandemic suffered from enforced lifestyle changes, which affected their mental health adversely. In this study by Begdache et al. (2021), the authors investigated the trends of dietary and lifestyle factors affecting mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a sample of adults from various educational backgrounds. Being a part of a larger study investigating the effect of dietary habits on mood, the data was collected before the COVID-19 pandemic from 2,853 adults and later on from 692 adults during the pandemic (from March 2020 onwards) using Food-Mood questionnaires submitted anonymously via social media platforms. The results of the study revealed that holders of graduate degrees ate more vegetables, less fast food, exercised more often, used more nutritional supplements (multivitamins, fish oils), and experienced less mental stress compared to adults without graduate degrees, who had a higher frequency of missing breakfast, but were unexpectedly found to consume more fruits, meats, and high glycemic index meals, used more nutritional supplements and exercised frequently, yet experienced higher levels of mental stress. The authors commented that participants who hold graduate degrees suffered fewer interruptions to their dietary and lifestyle routines (and in turn, fewer stressors), experienced more physical health gains and had lower odds of suffering from mental stress, while participants without graduate degrees suffered from higher dietary and lifestyle disparities, which may account for the observed higher levels of mental stress. In summary, the authors conclude that educational level is a potential contributor to dietary and lifestyle habits during the COVID-19 pandemic and to overall mental wellbeing. [NPID: Diet, exercise, educational status, mental health, population characteristics, lifestyle changes, pandemics, COVID-19]
Year: 2021
