Browsing by Subject "Food consumption"

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Associations and patterns in lifestyle and body weight among university students over one year into the Covid-19 pandemic: A cluster analysis
(2025) Bschaden, Andreas; Ströbele-Benschop, Nanette
In March 2020, the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections led to far-reaching measures worldwide to slow the spread of the virus. University students were particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the shift to distance learning. Research found an increase in body weight among a significant proportion of students, as well as unfavourable changes in food consumption and physical activity in the first months of the pandemic. The present study aimed to examine changes in food consumption, physical activity, and body weight more than one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among students at a German university in July/August 2021 (n = 951). Changes in food consumption, physical activity, and self-reported body weight since the beginning of the pandemic were assessed in comparison to pre-pandemic levels. Weight gain was reported by 38 % of students, weight loss by 30 %. Changes in sweet and savoury snacks consumption were positively, and changes in sporting frequency and fruit consumption were negatively associated with weight change. A cluster analysis revealed five groups of student clusters, two of which were able to benefit from the changes in their daily lives with increased physical activity and vegetable consumption. Negative consequences, such as reduced physical activity or increased sweet and savoury snack consumption, were found in two groups. One group appeared to be unaffected. The study helps to understand how the pandemic affected students differently. A closer look is needed to identify the reasons for these varied consequences and to develop strategies to assist those who are struggling to better cope with such situations.
The role of biodiversity in consumer research on food : a review and research agenda
(2025) Schneider, Deborah; Osieja, Sanja; Herbes, Carsten; Weinrich, Ramona
The move towards sustainable consumption has drawn significant attention from scholars and practitioners alike. Biodiversity is an integral part of environmental sustainability and food security, but it has received little attention in consumer research. Findings are fragmented into how biodiversity as a product attribute affects consumer food choices. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review on consumer research on biodiversity in the context of food choice. We reviewed 45 papers published between 2014 and March 2025. Our analysis was guided by the TCCM (Theories, Contexts, Characteristics, and Methodology) framework for developing a systematic literature review. We examined how biodiversity was conceptualized and defined within the studies and towards study participants. Our findings show that biodiversity as a product attribute generally has positive effects on consumer attitude, willingness to pay, and product choice. However, knowledge about biodiversity and the inherent trade-offs in product choices remains limited, so consumers cannot realistically factor biodiversity into their decision-making. We find that research has taken a narrow view of biodiversity, qualitative studies are rare, and few efforts have been made to build theoretical perspectives from empirical data. We conclude with a proposed agenda for future research and a tentative definition of biodiversity for social science.