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  • Looking at the spread of Covid 19 in the world, Africa is the least affected continent. I would like to know wethers nutrition contributed to it. And also how does nutrition (macro and micro) play a role in prevention of COVID 19. 

  • I would like to see how the COVID-19 lockdown has impacted the culinary skills of parents and their children and how it has changed the food choices and intakes of children. It would be very interesting exploring whether changes in culinary skills have led to changes in diet quality of children (comparing their food choices at lunch before, during and after the lockdown).

  • One aspect which I think is important to keep investigating is food security, as some people have mentioned. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on access to food at different levels. In developing countries, the fist impact from the lockdown measures was increased food insecurity in the most vulnerable groups of the population. In developed economies, there are numerous reports of people having to rely on food banks to access food. Contrasting different socio-economic groups, by studying specific cohorts and how the pandemic has affected them is an aspect which should be further investigated so the right policies improve food and nutrition security can be designed.

  • 1.) I am interested in more evidence about how the pandemic has affected the childhood obesity or malnutrition in all its forms as more then 160 millions of children could not go to schools. An international overview/comparison would be helpful.

    2.) As the coronavirus pandemic presses on, consumers (people, families, patients, individuals) have settled into routines that involve a lot more home cooking. However, in many cases, self-reported info/data might be inaccurate. I am interested in more research what people were cooking or what they were eating.

    3.) Linking individuals/patients to community health projects has been mentioned. An example can be Online Teaching Kitchen and similar courses as most of such programs have gone online.  However, I would be interested to learn more about the outcomes/impacts of online projects. How the skills, culinary and nutrition knowledge have improved by individuals, groups or patients. 

  • I am interested in research about changes in dietary habits and exercise during lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic of different age groups. Additionally, I wonder if there Is a decrease or increase in adherence to Mediterranean diet at different populations. Some research in Spain showed positive effects in the short term.

  • There have been multiple mentions of nutrition security so far and building on this, I would like to know how perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic can be used as a multi-factorial case study to highlight the ongoing and perhaps even widening inequalities in health. The social determinants of health have come up time and again over the past 12 months as those from less privileged backgrounds were less likely to be able to socially distance, more likely to continue to rely on public transport and perhaps most interestingly from a nutrition point of view, more likely to suffer from nutrition-related NCDs which also proved risk factors for COVID-19. I would like to see some research/modelling on how the gaps in the health and access to healthcare have affected the impact of the pandemic and more importantly, how this can be used as justification for more equitable access to healthcare. 

  • Interested in research  that considers the impact of COVID19 on non-hospitalised groups, in particular the hard to reach such as elderly and rural living. This was identified by the PHE UK at a meeting on Thursday where it recognised that the 'obvious' signs of food insecurity as a result of COVID19 may be absent in some groupings, despite increased need.   Also, food banks etc are considered the immediate solution to those in acute food insecurity, but down stream like to know more about interventions for those at the margins, but at risk of becoming food insecure. This ties in with the concept of transfer of care into the community where poor discharge planning increases nutritional risk through ineffective systems being in place, and political (Government)  stance on a populations right for nutritious food  Thanks

  • I would like to see more research studying the impact of COVID-19 in eating behaviours and nutritional status of non-hospitalised patients. 

    I would also think it would be very important to study how the restrictions in mobility and socialisation affected patients with eating disorders? And did they make susceptible individuals more prone to develop ED and disordered eating?

    Thanks!

  • Looking forward to further data and evidence underpinning the role of micronutrient adequcy and whether this has an impact on the strength and duration of the immune response to vaccination

  • I am interested to see the emphasis placed on nutrition in the period of COVID-19 rehabilitation and recovery. In time, we will have more patients recovery from COVID-19 in our communities than actively being treated in hospitals, so the focus on research will also have to shift accordingly. We have also started learning more about the consequences of 'long COVID' and the significant impact this can have on survivors of infection. 

    This will be captured in the 'Tertiary Prevention' section of our evidence tracker - where early evidence already exists. There are exisiting consensus resources available from UK agencies which have been very useful in practice: https://www.malnutritionpathway.co.uk/covid19 

    Further guidelines have been synthesised and published elsewhere: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/11/3230

    Key themes across these publications included the importance in the community setting of:

    (i) screening for malnutrition, which can be achieved by remote consultation

    (ii) care plans with appropriate nutrition support, which may include food based strategies, oral nutritional supplements and referral to a dietitian

    (iii) continuity of nutritional care between settings including rapid communication at discharge of malnutrition risk and requirements for ongoing nutrition support

    I am keen to learn more about programmes measuring the effectiveness of nutrition support in rehabiliation from COVID-19 illness and related outcomes. Is anyone in the network aware of local, national or international projects looking at these outcomes? 

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