幼児における食事づくりに関わる機会と食事バランスの関連　～COVID-19感染拡大後の生活変化における検討～

抄録

This study aimed to determine whether participation in meal preparation or increased the opportunities to participate in meal preparation during the pandemic were related to dietary balance, including chronological relationships. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in February 2021 among individuals registered with a company that provides meals to children aged 2−6 years. The survey gathered data on children’s eating behavior and lifestyle, and the current situation and changes following the COVID-19 outbreak. The 1878 participants were categorized into two groups: those with and without opportunities to be involved in meal preparation for the post-COVID-19 current analysis (n＝1056 and 822, respectively) and those with an increase (n＝478) and those with no change (n＝1400) for the analysis of change compared to the pre-COVID-19 analysis. Multiple regression analyses were performed with the healthy diet score (HDS) as the dependent variable. Even after adjustments for lifestyle habits and household circumstances, opportunities to be involved in meal preparation were positively correlated with the secondary indicators included in HDS. Furthermore, the changed HDS was higher in the group whose opportunities to be involved in meal preparation increased during the pandemic. Therefore, adopting opportunities to be involved in meal preparation may lead to a more balanced diet.