Institut za onkologiju i radiologiju Srbije / Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia
Published March 17, 2022 | Version V.1
Journal article Open

Lifestyle, Physical Activity, Eating and Hygiene Habits: A Comparative Analysis Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Student Population.

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Department of Hygiene and Ecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 3. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 4. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 5. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 6. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 7. Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 8. Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjacka Banja, University of Kragujevac, Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia
  • 9. Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University Clinical Centre Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
  • 10. Surgical Oncology Clinic, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

Description

Background: Changing daily habits such as diet, hygiene and physical activity may be some of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of this pandemic on lifestyle, physical activity, eating and hygiene habits among students. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 171 students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. Data were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Marginal homogeneity test and Chi-square test. The differences were considered statistically significant when p ≤ 0.05. Results: In this study, it was observed that the most common physical activity before the pandemic was walking, while during the pandemic was home exercising. Compared to the period before the pandemic, there was no difference in the time spent engaging in daily physical activity (p = 0.334). However, there was a significant increase in sitting time during the pandemic (p = 0.005). Difference was noticed in the use of breakfast, the number of meals, and the type of fat in the diet before and during the pandemic (p = 0.000). During the pandemic, there was an increase in the use of fruits (p = 0.000), vegetables, and nuts (p = 0.001), while the use of fast food and alcohol have decreased. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in the use of dietary supplements was observed (40.2%), (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, certain changes in lifestyle observed in this study should be confirmed in more extensive population studies.

 

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Physical Activity, Eating and Hygiene Habits. A Comparative Analysis Before and During the COVID19 Pandemic in Student Populationf. pubh-10-862816.pdf

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Additional details

Identifiers

URL
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.862816/full

Related works

Is documented by
35372255 (PMID)
Is identical to
PMC8968854 (pmcid)