Research Round Up (cont.)

COVID-19 Changing how we live our lives

The work of Obesity Action Scotland https://www.obesityactionscotland.org/ focuses on policy action to change our environment to improve accessand cultural acceptability of food and drinks associated with weight gain in children and adults. Their work is relevant for cancer risk reduction but alsoother chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes and now acute conditionslike COVID-19. Their survey https://www.obesityactionscotland.org/publications/reports/lifestyle-of-scotland-s-people-since-the-coronavirus-outbreak-stories-within-the-data/ on changing habits in 2000 Scottish adults during lockdown highlights the difficulties many people faced over food. Sadly, participants who reported eating more unhealthy food since the outbreak of the pandemic were also the most worried about diet and body weight suggesting that knowledge about food and diet doesn’t easily translate into positive action and the added stresses brough about COVID brings even less control over food habits. This is a reminder that education alone can have little impact on food choices and we need to look to the wider environment (food access, food quality , prices, marketing) to make healthy food choices and habits the norm.