Peculiarities of diet, physical activity and body weight of medical university students during COVID-19 restrictive measures

BACKGROUND: Pandemics of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) introduced additional corrections in the style of life of students. Introduction of restrictive measures, transfer to distance learning produce an ambiguous effect on the vital activity of a human including his physical health and diet. AIM: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 restrictive measures on nutrition, physical activity and body mass of medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sociological, analytical, statistical methods were used. According to the results of a questionnaire survey of 167 third-year students of the medical faculty of Smolensk State Medical University, a comparative assessment of nutrition, physical activity and body weight before the introduction of COVID-19 restrictive measures and in 3 4 months after self-isolation is presented. The reliability of differences in the shares of the characteristic was assessed by the value of Fishers angular transformation coefficient (φ). RESULTS: Diets of medical students were unbalanced both before and during COVID-19 restrictive measures. Changes in the diet during the period of self-isolation took place in 54.2% of the respondents. The number of students with 4 meals a day increased 1.6 times, and with 5 meals 12.9 times. The share of respondents with 2 meals a day decreased 6.3 times. Daytime food intake decreased 1.7 times, and 2.8 times more often the respondents did not have a fixed time of food intake. All medical students refused a full breakfast both before and during the period of self-isolation. The predomination of evening meals decreased 2.4 times. Home-made dishes were consumed 1.2 times more often, semi-finished products 2.4 times less often, and consumption of fast food decreased by 4.2%. Physical activity during the period of self-isolation significantly decreased in every fifth student. Every fourth respondent noticed increase in the body weight. CONCLUSION: Restrictive measures did not change the preferences in the choice of food products by medical students and the habits of not eating breakfast, and imbalanced diets. The positive impact of restrictive measures for COVID-19: increase in use of freshly prepared meals, the frequency of meals, and limitation of the possibility to eat in fast food restaurants. The negative effect of self-isolation: frequent infringement of the diet, increased daily amount of fast food consumed, decrease in physical activity, increase in body weight.