Research Project
NUTRITION, SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTH
IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA
On this page you will find detailed information about the survey you have been invited to participate in and the possible use of your data so that you can freely decide whether to participate.
The study is carried out by the Department of Psychology of the University of Milan-Bicocca in collaboration with the interdepartmental center BEST4Food of the same University. The investigation is a type of research that we define as a "minimal risk study".
What do we mean by "minimalrisk study”?
In the context of the research activities of the Department of Psychology of the University of Milan-Bicocca, a "minimal risk study" is a study that involves procedures characterized by a risk comparable to that of normal activities of everyday life (e.g. perceiving environmental stimuli such as a noise or a voice). The "minimal risk" studies are assessed by a special Commission within the Department of Psychology, which operates under the control of the University's Ethics Committee.
What is the purpose of this study?
The general purpose of this study is to investigate the psychological, social and sustainability-related (environmental, social and economic) aspects ofindividuals’ food-related behaviours during the emergency period linked to the coronavirus pandemic, in particular following the imposition of lockdown measures which required all individuals to follow strict isolation and social distancing guidelines.
Our team of researchers intends to investigate the behaviours adopted during this period of difficulty, in which most individuals have found themselves forced to carry out their daily lives within domestic boundaries, and compare them with previously practiced food-related habits.
The aim is to understand whether strategies of buying, preparing and consuming food have changed with respect to established habits of 'ordinary' periods, and how these choices are linked to the psychological and emotional wellbeing/feeling experienced by individuals, to the physiological well-being of individualsand to social, environmental and economic sustainability.
The areas investigated are thereforeaccess to food (choices, purchases), culinary practices (information gathering, preparation), food consumption practices (diets, preferences), and the psychological/emotional conditionof individuals during the emergency period.
Your participation will make it possible to study the links between subjectivity, social transformation and sustainability, and will contribute, at the same time, to corroborating broader analyses about the effects of collective emergencies on the lifestyles of individuals and families. Concurrently, the study will strive to detect spaces of possibility for the sustainable development of the food sector, inferred from individual behaviour in conditions of emergency and, more generally, social isolation.
How does the study work?
The procedure requires the participant to complete the questionnaire as precisely as possible, providing accurate and truthful information. Please note that the questionnaire is completely anonymous. Please read carefully and answer all the questions listed below, taking into account that there are no right or wrong answers. If you are using a smartphone, we invite you to rotate the screen horizontally and use a zoom to make reading easier. The total duration of the study will be about 20 minutes.
Are you obligated to participate in the study?
No, your participation is completely voluntary. Furthermore, if at any time you change your mind and want to withdraw, you are free to do so.
Other important information
Please note that the study will be conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the "Helsinki Declaration" and the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention). The data will be processed in a completely anonymous and aggregated form and will not be in any way traceable to your person.
Who to ask for further information and/or insights?
If you would like more information about this study you can contact the researchers involved:
| Dr. Raffaele Matacena | raffaele.matacena@unimib.it |
| Professor Silvia Mari | silvia.mari@unimib.it |
| Professor Marco D’Addario | marco.daddario@unimib.it |