Table 3.
Comparison of theme frequencies between groups.
| Theme | Description | Dietitian group (N=1417), n (%) | Public group (N=1469), n (%) | P value |
| Weight loss | Tips, mention, desire, and promotion. Not necessarily due to the pandemic. | 24 (1.7) | 106 (7.2) | <.001 |
| Cooking and recipes | Sharing of recipes or meal/snack ideas. Mentions of what the next meal will be. | 215 (15.2) | 214 (14.6) | .65 |
| Immune health | Linking nutrients, supplements, and foods, as well as physical activity, healthy eating, and hydration with immunity. | 177 (12.5) | 87 (5.9) | <.001 |
| Food support and food system | Food support programs, food services/systems, buying local, gardening, and food insecurity. | 206 (14.5) | 59 (4.0) | <.001 |
| Specific foods | Mention, consumption, or promotion of foods of various nutritional values. | 178 (12.6) | 487 (33.2) | <.001 |
| Alcohol consumption | Reference to alcohol or mention of consumption. | 19 (1.3) | 86 (5.9) | <.001 |
| Nutrients and supplements | Mention or promotion of a nutrient or supplement, regardless of immunity. | 80 (5.7) | 81 (5.5) | .88 |
| Overeating | Mention of eating a large quantity of food in one sitting. | 18 (1.3) | 65 (4.4) | <.001 |
| Food tips and recommendations | Hydration, suggestion of certain foods or practices, healthy restaurant food choices, and sanitary measures in restaurants. | 253 (17.9) | 108 (7.4) | <.001 |
| Food changes | Modification of food choices, habits, and offers due to the pandemic, except for diets. | 173 (12.2) | 149 (10.1) | .08 |
| Body appearance | References to physical appearance regardless of weight loss; includes weight gain. | 86 (6.1) | 67 (4.6) | .07 |
| Diets and dietary patterns | Mention or promotion of diets, dietary patterns, and related practices. | 26 (1.8) | 507 (34.5) | <.001 |
| Other lifestyle habits | References to physical activity (without mention of weight loss), stress/anxiety, sleep, tobacco, and cannabis. | 259 (18.3) | 453 (30.8) | <.001 |
| Grocery | Food safety, in-store sanitary measures, healthy food choices at the store, ways to reduce grocery bills, and increased/decreased availability of products. | 271 (19.1) | 68 (4.6) | <.001 |
| Health care system | Changes in dietetics practice, underlying health conditions, and nutrition of infected patients. | 209 (14.8) | 23 (1.6) | <.001 |