Dataset Information

Changes in lifestyle, diet, and body weight during the first COVID 19 'lockdown' in a student sample.

ABSTRACT: Changes in lifestyle and body weight were examined retrospectively in students at a German university during the first COVID-19 lockdown period (March 12- May 3, 2020) using an online survey. Data from a total of 827 participants was used. Almost half of the students reported perceived body weight changes with about 27% gaining weight and around 22% losing weight. Regression analyses showed that consumption changes in the following food categories: fruits, sweets and cakes, bread and bakery products, pasta, savoury snacks, and meats and sausages were predictive of weight changes. Additionally, changes in the frequency of cooking with fresh ingredients, physical activity, exercise, smoking, and alcohol consumption as well as pre-lockdown BMI were all predictive of weight changes. Given the continuous global pandemic, increased and innovative public health efforts to support this population group are needed.

SUBMITTER: Palmer K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8423589 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Changes in lifestyle, diet, and body weight during the first COVID 19 'lockdown' in a student sample.

Palmer K K Bschaden A A Stroebele-Benschop N N

Appetite 20210810

Changes in lifestyle and body weight were examined retrospectively in students at a German university during the first COVID-19 lockdown period (March 12- May 3, 2020) using an online survey. Data from a total of 827 participants was used. Almost half of the students reported perceived body weight changes with about 27% gaining weight and around 22% losing weight. Regression analyses showed that consumption changes in the following food categories: fruits, sweets and cakes, bread and bakery prod ...[more]

PMID: 34388592

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundOn December 12th 2019, a new coronavirus (SARS-Cov2) emerged in Wuhan, China, sparking a pandemic of acute respiratory syndrome in humans (COVID-19). On the 24th of April 2020, the number of COVID-19 deaths in the world, according to the COVID-Case Tracker by Johns Hopkins University, was 195,313, and the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases was 2,783,512. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a massive impact on human health, causing sudden lifestyle changes, through social distancing and isolation at home, with social and economic consequences. Optimizing public health during this pandemic requires not only knowledge from the medical and biological sciences, but also of all human sciences related to lifestyle, social and behavioural studies, including dietary habits and lifestyle.MethodsOur study aimed to investigate the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating habits and lifestyle changes among the Italian population aged ≥ 12 years. The study comprised a structured questionnaire packet that inquired demographic information (age, gender, place of residence, current employment); anthropometric data (reported weight and height); dietary habits information (adherence to the Mediterranean diet, daily intake of certain foods, food frequency, and number of meals/day); lifestyle habits information (grocery shopping, habit of smoking, sleep quality and physical activity). The survey was conducted from the 5th to the 24th of April 2020.ResultsA total of 3533 respondents have been included in the study, aged between 12 and 86 years (76.1% females). The perception of weight gain was observed in 48.6% of the population; 3.3% of smokers decided to quit smoking; a slight increased physical activity has been reported, especially for bodyweight training, in 38.3% of respondents; the population group aged 18-30 years resulted in having a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet when compared to the younger and the elderly population (p < 0.001; p < 0.001, respectively); 15% of respondents turned to farmers or organic, purchasing fruits and vegetables, especially in the North and Center of Italy, where BMI values were lower.ConclusionsIn this study, we have provided for the first time data on the Italian population lifestyle, eating habits and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet pattern during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, our data need to be confirmed and investigated in future more extensive population studies.

Dataset Information

Changes in lifestyle, diet, and body weight during the first COVID 19 'lockdown' in a student sample.

Publications

Changes in lifestyle, diet, and body weight during the first COVID 19 'lockdown' in a student sample.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets