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. 2021 Sep 13;18(18):9632.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189632.

PaLS Study: How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Influenced Physical Activity and Nutrition? Observations a Year after the Outbreak of the Pandemic

Alicja Monika Jodczyk  1 , Grzegorz Gruba  1 , Zuzanna Sikora  1 , Przemysław Seweryn Kasiak  1 , Joanna Gębarowska  1   2 , Natalia Adamczyk  1   2 , Artur Mamcarz  2   3 , Daniel Śliż  1   2   3   4
Affiliations

PaLS Study: How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Influenced Physical Activity and Nutrition? Observations a Year after the Outbreak of the Pandemic

Alicja Monika Jodczyk et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have impacted the majority of life domains. To evaluate their potential consequences on physical activity (PA) and dietary habits among Polish undergraduates, a survey consisting of the IPAQ-SF, authors' questions based on the Polish National Institute of Public Health recommendations, and authors' questions scaled -5/0/5 on personal opinion was created and administered between 22 February and 3 April 2021. A total of 1323 students met the study conditions (1021 females, 297 males, 5 did not specify gender, mean age: 22 years old (SD = 4), mean BMI = 22.27 kg/m2 (SD = 3.87)). A total of 27.21% of students were in the low, 48.53% in the moderate, and 24.26% in the high PA group. A total of 71.94% estimated that the pandemic had a negative impact on their PA, 8.16% no impact, and 19.9% a positive impact. A total of 35.5% had an insufficient intake of vegetables, 34.3% declared adding salt to meals, and 31.6% ate animal-based products the majority of days in a week or every day. A total of 51.02% assessed the impact of the pandemic on their nutrition as negative, 20.11% did not notice changes, and 28.87% reported a positive impact on their dietary habits. Most of the students saw harmful pandemic effects on their diet and PA compared to the times before restrictions. This can lead to a higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; lifestyle medicine; nutrition; physical activity; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Stepwise data cleaning process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Answers to self-opinion questions on physical activity expressed in number of participants and percentages.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results of self-opinion question depending on year of study on physical activity (a) and dietary habits (b): x—year of study, y—chosen answer (scale −5, 0, +5).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Answers to self-opinion question about dietary habits expressed in number of participants and percentages.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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