Research
Adherence
Fears of contagion and health concerns related to the pandemic can increase eating disorder risk by promoting restrictive diets focused on immunity or avoiding foods perceived as contaminated.
Avoid restrictive diets based on fear of contamination. Focus on a balanced diet that supports your immune system. If you have health anxiety, seek professional support to manage your fears and eating behaviors.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in certain eating- and food-specific anxieties... fear of contagion from COVID-19 may lead individuals to experience increased concerns regarding the quality of food or its capacity to be a vehicle of contagion. This may, in turn, increase restrictive eating patterns either through fear of leaving the house to purchase foods or the elimination of certain foods or food groups due to fear of contamination.
Why this rating
Based on theoretical review and cited literature.
Source
The impact of the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic on eating disorder risk and symptoms
Rachel F. Rodgers et al. · International Journal of Eating Disorders · 2020
DOI 10.1002/eat.23318
narrative_reviewCited 663×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Pandemic-related disruptions to daily routines, social isolation, and restricted physical activity increase eating disorder risk by removing protective factors and increasing reliance on maladaptive coping strategies like restrictive or binge eating.Moderate
- Increased exposure to media content related to weight gain, diet culture, and pandemic stress, combined with increased use of video-conferencing, increases eating disorder risk by heightening body image concerns and social comparison.Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
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