Unveiling Lived Experiences: Exploring the Health and Lifestyle Effects of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant life disruptions among healthcare workers (HCWs), including changes in weight, eating habits, and physical activity. This qualitative study sought to evaluate the initial and longitudinal effects of health habits among HCWs throughout the pandemic. Data were collected through Qualtrics surveys at three points over a 2-year period with questions asking participants (n = 234) to describe whether they experienced changes in weight, eating behaviors, and physical activity and why they believe these changes occurred. The open-ended responses were analyzed following the summative content analysis approach. Four key themes emerged: (1) problematic eating patterns and habits, (2) disruptions in physical activity, (3) alterations in work environment and schedule, and (4) declines in mental health. Respondent reflections highlight the immediate and long-term pandemic-related effects on weight status for some, attributed to alterations in routines and health habits. Other HCWs reported a "reset" or indicated their habits may have been initially disrupted but normalized or improved over the 2-year time span. Findings underscore the need for strategies that support the physical and mental health of healthcare workers.

Weight bias reduction intervention among nurse practitioner students using simulation-based experiences.

ABSTRACT: Few nurse practitioner (NP) programs include obesity and weight bias education in their curriculum. However, NPs will likely provide care for people living with obesity, many of whom have been discriminated against based on their weight by previous providers, and many NP students may feel unprepared to navigate weight management competently. This pilot study included a weight bias reduction (WBR) intervention, which included a simulation-based experience (SBE) with a standardized participant (SP) and educational activities embedded within the NP curriculum. Nineteen NP students participated in this pilot study, but only seven students had matching data for preintervention to postintervention scores. There were no statistically significant differences in preintervention and postintervention Attitudes Toward Obese Persons (ATOP) or Beliefs About Obese Persons (BAOP) scores. Despite this small sample size and not achieving statistical significance, SBE-SP holds promise to depict realistic patient encounters to improve NPs' attitudes and beliefs toward persons with obesity and to reduce weight bias. Therefore, incorporating SBE-SP may be a feasible component of the NP curriculum.

Misinformation and Disinformation in Food Science and Nutrition: Impact on Practice.

Food and nutrition are popular topics in the media and on social media. The ubiquity of social media has created new opportunities for qualified or credentialed experts in the scientific community to connect with clients and the public. It has also created challenges. Health and wellness gurus, or self-proclaimed experts, utilize social media platforms to garner attention through compelling narratives, build audience followings, and influence public opinion by sharing (often) misleading information about food and nutrition. The consequence of this can be the perpetuation of misinformation, which not only undermines a well-functioning democracy but also diminishes support for policies that are science or evidence based. Nutrition practitioners, clinician scientists, researchers, communicators, educators, and food experts need to encourage and model critical thinking (CT) to participate in our world of mass information and mitigate misinformation. These experts can play a vital role in the evaluation of information about food and nutrition against the body of evidence. This article explores the role of CT and ethics of practice in the context of misinformation and disinformation by providing a framework for engaging with clients and offering a checklist for ethical practice.

Empowering Community Leadership: Perspectives of Peer Mentors Facilitating a Food Pantry-Based Nutrition Education Program.

Peer Mentors (PMs) are valuable health educators within food-insecure communities; however, little is known about PMs' perspectives and experiences after serving in their peer mentor role. Therefore, this qualitative study explored PMs' (n = 10) perceptions and analyzed data using thematic analysis based on descriptive phenomenology. Four themes emerged: (1) Successes and Struggles in Sharing Nutrition Knowledge; (2) Establishing a Conducive Learning Environment; (3) The Peer Mentor and Mentee Connection: Impact of Shared Experiences; (4) Empowerment of the Peer Mentor Experience. PMs have many advantages; however, more research is needed to evaluate the sustainability and efficacy of PMs within food-insecure communities.

A Year in the Life of U.S. Frontline Health Care Workers: Impact of COVID-19 on Weight Change, Physical Activity, Lifestyle Habits, and Psychological Factors.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced significantly higher burdens and life demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to assess the longitudinal effects among HCWs throughout the pandemic. Qualtrics surveys collected self-reported data on weight changes, eating patterns, physical activity (PA), and psychological factors with data organized by timepoints prior to the pandemic (PP0­prior to March 2020), baseline (M0­January 2021), month 6 (M6­July 2021), and month 12 (M12­January 2022). Eating patterns were negatively impacted at the M0, with reported increases in snacking/grazing (69.7%), fast food/take-out consumption (57.8%), and alcohol (48.8%). However, by M6 and M12 there were no statistically significant differences in eating patterns, suggesting that eating patterns normalized over time. Mean weight increased from PP0 to M0 by 2.99 pounds (p < 0.001, n = 226) and from PP0 to M6 by 2.12 pounds (p < 0.027, n = 146), though the difference in mean weight from PP0 to M12 was not statistically significant (n = 122). PA counts decreased from 8.00 sessions per week PP0 to 6.80 by M0 (p = 0.005) before jumping to 12.00 at M6 (p < 0.001) and 10.67 at M12 (p < 0.001). Psychological factors comparing M0 to M12 found statistically significant differences for depression (p-value = 0.018) and anxiety (p-value = 0.001), meaning depression and anxiety were initially increased but improved by M12. Additionally, higher scores on depression and insomnia scales were associated with lower PA levels. These overall results imply that the COVID-19 pandemic had immediate effects on the eating patterns, weight changes, PA, and psychological factors of HCWs; however, routines and lifestyle habits appeared to have normalized one year later.

Interventions for reducing weight bias in healthcare providers: An interprofessional systematic review and meta-analysis.

Weight bias is prevalent in many healthcare disciplines and negatively impacts the quality of care for patients with obesity. This warrants interventions to reduce weight bias shown by providers to improve care for individuals with obesity. However, past reviews have identified only marginal success in improving the attitudes and beliefs of healthcare providers about individuals with obesity. This systematic review and meta-analysis identifies and synthesizes recent peer-reviewed intervention studies aimed at reducing weight bias in healthcare students and professionals. The databases Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsychINFO, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and August 2021. Search terms included a combination of surrogate terms for the concepts of weight bias, intervention and healthcare students or professionals. The search yielded 1136 articles, and 14 articles met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Nineteen effect sizes from nine studies were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the interventions in the included studies result in a 0.38 SD reduction (Hedge's g) in obesity-bias with 95% confidence intervals from -0.52 to -0.24, indicating a small to moderate effect size in the reduction of weight bias. Most studies included students and focused on evoking empathy or educating on the causality/controllability of obesity. Measurement tools, intervention type, limitations of the studies and recommendations for future research are discussed.

A Study of United States Registered Dietitian Nutritionists during COVID-19: From Impact to Adaptation.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced an unprecedented health crisis, requiring many Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) to expand their duties and services, while other RDNs faced unemployment, reduced hours, and changes to their work environment. This study evaluated whether the pandemic impacted RDNs' weight, eating behaviors, and psychological factors, and whether professional training as an RDN was perceived as a protective factor in maintaining healthy habits. A 57-item, cross-sectional, online questionnaire including open-ended questions was distributed to RDNs residing in the United States. Over two months (January 2021 to February 2021), 477 RDNs completed the questionnaire. Among RDNs, 68.5% reported no weight change, 21.4% reported weight gain greater than 5 pounds, and 10.3% reported weight loss greater than 5 pounds. Approximately 75% (n = 360) reported their RDN professional training equipped them with the skills needed to maintain healthy eating behaviors. Reduced physical activity and mental health were the top qualitative themes that emerged regarding reasons for weight change. These findings suggest that RDN professional practice skills may have conferred some personal health benefits, as evidenced by smaller weight gains, the maintenance of healthy habits, and fewer reporting psychological effects relative to the general population and other health professionals, thereby limiting the impact of pandemic-induced work and life disruptions.

Social media's influence on adolescents' food choices: A mixed studies systematic literature review.

Over 90% of adolescents have at least one social media account, and their presence on social media continues to grow. Food and beverage brands capitalize on this trend by marketing their products on social media to adolescents. Depending on the nutrition value of the products being marketed, social media advertisements' influence may contribute to the risk of developing unfavorable health outcomes such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. This review aimed to investigate social media's food and beverage advertisements' role in influencing adolescents' food choices by appraising published literature. A systematic literature review was conducted reporting on social media's role in adolescents' food choices. Articles were searched through CINAHL and PubMed from scholarly journals between 2015 and 2020, using the search terms: social media use, food advertisements, adolescents, and food choices. Eligible articles were selected based on inclusion criteria. PRISMA guidelines were followed, and study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The analysis was conducted using narrative analysis to identify key findings. Of the 234 records, six articles met inclusion criteria. The studies revealed two major findings: adolescents were more likely to recall unhealthy food and celebrity influence was a common component of the advertisements. This review suggests that food and beverage companies use social media for marketing their products by targeting the adolescent population. The use of celebrities and influencers and the promotion of "unhealthy" products appear to be commonly used tactics. With these findings, healthcare professionals should consider screening adolescents routinely for social media use and current eating habits and educating the adolescents, parents, and families about health risk. Additionally, implementing legislation and policies may be beneficial in preventing this exposure.

Development of a weight bias reduction intervention for third-year nursing students.

To explore whether case-based learning will enhance a weight bias reduction (WBR) programme among nursing students to improve their attitudes and beliefs towards persons with obesity. A cluster-randomized controlled trial (CRT) among 13 medical-surgical clinical practicum groups consisting of six to eight third-year baccalaureate nursing students was conducted to compare a WBR training enhanced by case-based learning (WBR-I, n = 7) with a standard WBR control group (n = 6). All participants completed the Attitudes Towards Obese Persons (ATOP) and Beliefs About Obese Persons (BAOP) questionnaires before the randomized assignment and at the end of the 14-week semester. The BAOP scores of participants in the WBR-I group were significantly improved compared to controls (26.68 ± 7.85 and 22.93 ± 2.80, respectively; F = 18.23; p = .001 (<.01) indicating improved beliefs about the controllability of obesity. There were no significant changes to attitudes about individuals with obesity, as indicated by the ATOP scores. The findings of this pilot study suggest that a more intensive WBR programme that includes case-based learning scenarios that elicit critical thinking coupled with a standard WBR programme may reduce some aspects of weight bias.

Reflective journaling of nursing students on weight bias.

BACKGROUND: Self-reflection, combined with clinical experience, has been shown to enhance clinical and didactic knowledge among undergraduate nursing students. Reflective journaling is a valuable educational tool that builds critical thinking skills and raises self-awareness through the purposeful inspection of beliefs and attitudes. However, there are little data available on reflective journaling during clinical education exploring weight bias as part of a weight sensitivity training program. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to explore the use of reflective journals as a tool to raise self-awareness and self-reflection of weight bias as part of a weight sensitivity training program. SETTINGS: The project was conducted at a four-year pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing program with third-year clinical students in a private Catholic university in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. PARTICIPANTS: All third-year students enrolled in a medical-surgical clinical practicum were eligible to participate from August to December 2017. DESIGN & METHODS: For this qualitative study, data were collected during the 15-week medical-surgical clinical practicum, in which students completed five journal entries. De-identified data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 98 students, 18 years of age and older consented, and 280 journal entries were analyzed. Four themes emerged from a majority of the journal entries: 1) increased self-awareness of personal weight bias; 2) acknowledgment of obesity as a chronic disease and not a choice; 3) insufficient resources or training may perpetuate weight bias; and 4) opportunity for weight sensitivity training to improve patient care. CONCLUSIONS: Through reflective journaling, nursing students were able to periodically self-reflect on their personal weight bias as it pertained to caring for patients with obesity. This introspective self-reflection as part of a weight sensitivity training may lead to not only improving clinical competencies in patient care but also in reducing weight bias in clinical practicum.

Using the word "Healthy" in an emergency food pantry: An unexpected response.

The word "healthy" holds significant value when discussing health and nutrition; however, the word was identified as having a negative and confusing connotation at an Emergency Food Pantry (EFP). The sample of 11 women, ages 40-70 years, who are patrons at an EFP in Southeastern Pennsylvania shared that "healthy" is a misunderstood term, frequently perceived as expensive and tasteless. Identification of the word "healthy" as a barrier was unexpected for the interprofessional team of health educators. Understanding the perspectives of individuals who utilize EFPs can benefit anyone working in public health and community settings since "healthy" and "healthy eating" are common words. When planning nutrition and health education classes, barriers must be recognized in order to promote health by using words that resonate with EFP patrons and their community. It is crucial for nurses and providers to communicate with patients using the most effective and impactful terminology.

Nursing students' perspectives on observed weight bias in healthcare settings: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Weight bias continues to be problematic within the healthcare setting among practicing healthcare providers (HCPs). These HCPs serve as influential role models for nursing students when immersed in the clinical environment. However, if HCPs are demonstrating bias toward patients with obesity, this may influence nursing students' beliefs and practices. AIMS: This study aimed to explore nursing students' reflections of observed weight bias within the healthcare setting. MATERIALS & METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study design was used involving reflective journaling and qualitative content analysis. Two cohorts of third-year baccalaureate nursing students (n = 197) participated in weight sensitivity training and submitted reflective journals over one academic semester. RESULTS: Reports of weight bias were categorized into three themes-(1) Direct Impact: Observed Implicit and Explicit Provider Weight Bias; (2) Indirect Impact: Weight Bias Due to Skills, Equipment, or Staffing/Environmental Deficits; and (3) Reactions toward HCP Weight Bias: Conflict Between Weight Bias Training and Real-World Healthcare Experiences. DISCUSSION: Weight bias was observed in some HCPs within the healthcare setting. Student reflections explored weight bias and the opposing messages between weight sensitivity training and real-world practices. CONCLUSION: Preventing bias through continuing education for HCPs is crucial to provide compassionate care and instill ethical values in the next generation nurses.

Weight Sensitivity Training Among Undergraduate Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: A Curriculum Embedded Weight Sensitivity Training program (CeWebs) was integrated into an undergraduate nursing course to improve attitudes and beliefs toward individuals with obesity. METHOD: A one-group repeated measures study was conducted to compare students' pretest and posttest attitudes and beliefs using the Attitudes Toward Obese Persons (ATOP) and Beliefs About Obese Persons (BAOP) at the beginning and end of the semester. RESULTS: Comparison of pretraining and posttraining scores of 125 junior nursing students on ATOP (73.96 ± 15.02 and 84.59 ± 15.39, respectively) indicated a significant increase in scores (p < .01), which reflects more positive attitudes. Comparison of pretraining and posttraining BAOP scores (18.20 ± 6.84 and 22.22 ± 7.87, respectively) indicated a significant (p < .01) increase in scores, indicating beliefs that obesity is not controllable. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that embedding weight sensitivity training into undergraduate nursing curricula may improve attitudes and beliefs toward patients with obesity. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(8):453-456.].

Successes and challenges of using a peer Mentor model for nutrition education within a food pantry: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) provides an opportunity to reach many food insecure households and underserved populations. However, little is known about using a peer mentor model, "Community Cooks," as a modality to deliver nutrition education within this setting. This research aimed to identify the successes and challenges of using a peer mentor model within an EFP to better understand the best approaches to deliver nutrition education among community residents. METHODS: In spring 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 peer mentors after they delivered a series of nutrition workshops to community members of the EFP. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: All peer mentors were women over 40 years-of-age, were recruited from the EFP community; most were high school graduates and currently received some form of federal nutrition assistance. All peer mentors reported that the "Community Cooks" nutrition education program offered many benefits. Key successes of the program included serving in the role as a peer mentor was an empowering experience which gave them a sense of community, purpose, and camaraderie; 2) the nutrition education was appropriately tailored towards those living with food insecurity; 3) the recipes required minimal cooking skills and included low-cost easily accessible foods available at the EFP. Key challenges of the program were the lack of community member engagement in the nutrition education workshops. CONCLUSION: Challenges continue to exist when delivering nutrition education within a community EFP setting. While the use of peer mentors to deliver nutrition education messages is promising, more research is needed to quantify the impact of using a peer mentor model in underserved and food insecure communities.

Barriers to Healthy Eating in a Community That Relies on an Emergency Food Pantry.

OBJECTIVE: To explore perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community that relies on an emergency food pantry. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus groups within an emergency food pantry located in southeastern Pennsylvania. Eleven female participants were recruited from the food pantry to serve as focus group participants and key community informants. Focus group transcripts were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a constant comparative method. RESULTS: Four themes regarding perceived barriers to healthy eating were identified: (1) knowledge, (2) resources, (3) special dietary needs, and (4) culture and family influences. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Emergent themes from the focus groups identified the perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community. These findings may be essential for informing the development of future nutrition education programs and for promoting health in low-income communities.

Findings from an online behavioural weight management programme provided with or without a fortified diet beverage.

The present multi-centre randomised weight-loss trial evaluated the efficacy of a low-intensity 12-week online behavioural modification programme, with or without a fortified diet beverage using a 2 × 2 factorial design. A total of 572 participants were randomised to: (1) an online basic lifestyle information (OBLI) intervention, consisting of one online informational class about tips for weight management; (2) an online behavioural weight management (OBWM) intervention, entailing 12 weekly online classes focused on weight-loss behaviour modification; (3) an OBLI intervention plus a fortified diet cola beverage (BEV) containing green tea extract (total catechin 167 mg), soluble fibre dextrin (10 g) and caffeine (100 mg) (OBLI+BEV); (4) OBWM+BEV. Assessments included height, weight, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived body composition, and waist circumference (WC). Attrition was 15·7 %. Intention-to-treat (ITT) models demonstrated a main effect for type of Internet programme, with those assigned to the OBWM condition losing significantly more weight (F= 7·174; P= 0·008) and fat mass (F= 4·491; P= 0·035) than those assigned to the OBLI condition. However, there was no significant main effect for the OBWM condition on body fat percentage (F= 2·906; P= 0·089) or WC (F= 3·351; P= 0·068), and no significant main effect for beverage use or significant interactions between factors in ITT models. A 12-week, low-intensity behaviourally based online programme produced a greater weight loss than a basic information website. The addition of a fortified diet beverage had no additional impact.

Similarities and differences between weight loss maintainers and regainers: a qualitative analysis.

Obesity is remarkably refractory to treatment. Despite a plethora of quantitative studies, little qualitative research has been conducted on the topic of weight loss maintenance. This study used six focus groups to explore which factors promoted or prevented maintaining weight loss among a diverse, urban population. Eligible participants were those who had intentionally lost ≥10% of their body weight in the past 2 years and were categorized as either "regainers" or "maintainers" using self-reported length of weight maintenance and amount (%) regained. Regainers had regained ≥33% of their weight loss and maintainers had regained ≤15%. Participants (n=29) were predominantly African-American (58.6%) females (65.6%) with a mean age of 46.9±11.2 years. Four themes reflected similarities between regainers and maintainers, and four reflected differences between the groups. Both groups experienced lapses, used clothing fit for feedback on weight status, desired greater support during maintenance, and decreased self-monitoring of food intake over time. When compared with regainers, maintainers more often continued strategies used during weight loss, weighed themselves regularly, and used productive problem-solving skills and positive self-talk. Regainers experienced greater difficulty independently continuing food and exercise behaviors during maintenance, identifying decreased accountability and waning motivation as barriers. These findings suggest that weight loss maintenance efforts can be improved by addressing challenges such as long-term self-monitoring and problem-solving skills, and that maintenance success might depend on how people think as much as what they do.

A randomized trial of the effects of an almond-enriched, hypocaloric diet in the treatment of obesity.

BACKGROUND: Increased consumption of nuts has been advocated because of their health benefits, but the role of nuts in the treatment of obesity is unclear given their high energy density. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a hypocaloric, almond-enriched diet (AED) compared with a hypocaloric nut-free diet (NFD) on body weight and cardiovascular disease risk factors in the context of an 18-mo behavioral weight-management program. DESIGN: Overweight and obese individuals [n = 123; age = 46.8 y, BMI (in kg/m(2)) = 34.0] were randomly assigned to consume an AED or NFD and instructed in traditional behavioral methods of weight control. Anthropometric and metabolic measurements were made at baseline, 6 mo, and 18 mo. RESULTS: Those in the AED group lost slightly but significantly less weight than did those in the NFD group at 6 mo (-5.5 compared with -7.4 kg; P = 0.04), but there were no differences at 18 mo. No significant differences in body composition were found between the groups at 6 or 18 mo. The AED, compared with the NFD, was associated with greater reductions in total cholesterol (P = 0.03), total:HDL cholesterol (P = 0.02), and triglycerides (P = 0.048) at 6 mo, and no differences were observed between the groups at 18 mo. CONCLUSIONS: The AED and NFD groups experienced clinically significant and comparable weight loss at 18 mo. Despite smaller weight loss in the AED group at 6 mo, the AED group experienced greater improvements in lipid profiles. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00194428.

The individual and combined effects of glycemic index and protein on glycemic response, hunger, and energy intake.

Although high protein and low glycemic index (GI) foods are thought to promote satiety, little is known about the effects of GI, protein, and their interaction on hunger and energy intake several hours following a mixed meal. This study investigated the long term effects of GI, protein, and their combined effects on glucose, insulin, hunger, and energy intake in healthy, sedentary, overweight, and obese adults (BMI of 30.9 ± 3.7 kg/m(2)). Sixteen individuals participated separately in four testing sessions after an overnight fast. The majority (75%) were non-Hispanic Blacks. Each consumed one of four breakfast meals (high GI/low protein, high GI/high protein, low GI/low protein, low GI/high protein) in random order. Visual analog scales (VAS) and blood samples were taken at baseline, 15 min, and at 30 min intervals over 4 h following the meal. After 4 h, participants were given the opportunity to consume food ad libitum from a buffet style lunch. Meals containing low GI foods produced a smaller glucose (P < 0.002) and insulin (P = 0.0001) response than meals containing high GI foods. No main effects for protein or interactions between GI and protein were observed in glucose or insulin responses, respectively. The four meals had no differential effect on observed energy intake or self-reported hunger, satiety, and prospective energy intake. Low GI meals produced the smallest postprandial increases in glucose and insulin. There were no effects for GI, protein, or their interaction on appetite or energy intake 4 h after breakfast.

The effects of a commercially available weight loss program among obese patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized study.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a commercially available weight loss program on weight and glycemic control among obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Participants included 69 patients (49 females, 20 males) with type 2 diabetes who had a mean +/- SD age of 52.2 +/- 9.5 years, a body mass index of 39.0 +/- 6.2 kg/m(2), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 7.5 +/- 1.6%. Over half (52.2%) of the participants were African American. Participants were randomly assigned to: 1) a portion-controlled diet (NutriSystem D) (PCD) or 2) a diabetes support and education (DSE) program. After the initial 3 months, the PCD group continued on the PCD for the remaining 3 months, and the DSE group crossed over to PCD for the remaining 3 months. The primary comparison for this study was at 3 months. At 3 months, the PCD group lost significantly more weight (7.1 +/- 4%) than the DSE group (0.4 +/- 2.3%) (P < 0.0001). From 3 to 6 months the change in weight for both groups was statistically significant. After 3 months, the PCD group had greater reductions in HbA1c than the DSE group (-0.88 +/- 1.1 vs 0.03 +/- 1.09; P < 0.001). From 3 to 6 months the PCD group had no further change in HbA1c, while the DSE group showed a significant reduction. These data suggest that obese patients with type 2 diabetes will experience significant improvements in weight, glycemic control, and cardiovascular disease risk factors after the use of a commercially available weight management program.