COVID-19 Pandemic and Remote Education Contributes to Improved Nutritional Behaviors and Increased Screen Time in a Polish Population-Based Sample of Primary School Adolescents: Diet and Activity of Youth during COVID-19 (DAY-19) Study

Abstract

The Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic has influenced the nutrition of individuals, including the diet followed, food availability, and food security. However, thus far, only a few studies have been published regarding the diet and activity of children and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and remote education in this period on the diet and physical activity in a Polish population-based sample of primary school adolescents. In June 2020, the Diet and Activity of Youth during COVID-19 (DAY-19) Study was conducted on a population recruited based on stratified random sampling from all regions (schools sampled from counties, and counties from voivodeships). The sample consisted of a total of 1334 adolescents aged 10–16 years. The study assessed the diet and physical activity of the participants using a validated questionnaire which included questions about the period of remote education and the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were asked about the following: consumption of fruit, vegetables, soft drinks, water, French fries, and fast food; eating meals in front of the television; and the number of days they are physically active and the number of hours they spend watching television. The obtained data were analyzed by stratifying the respondents by the gender, age, size of the city and total COVID-19 morbidity in the voivodeship. It was observed that, during the pandemic and the resultant remote education, the proportion of respondents who declared the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables had increased compared to that before the pandemic—a higher proportion consumed at least three portions of fruit per day (19.0% before pandemic vs. 27.4% during pandemic; p < 0.0001), as well as three and four or more portions of vegetables per day (11.9% vs. 14.5% and 7.5% vs. 11.1%; p = 0.0004). At the same time, the proportion of respondents consuming at least three cups of water per day had increased (41.1% vs. 47.9%; p = 0.0020), whereas the proportion of respondents who never or rarely eat their meals in front of the television had decreased (35.6% vs. 28.9%; p < 0.0001), and the proportion watching television for more than 2 h a day had increased (78.3% vs. 88.4%; p < 0.0001). Based on the results, it may be concluded that, during the period of remote education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dietary behaviors of the studied population of Polish adolescents were more beneficial, which included a higher intake of fruit, vegetables, and water, compared to before the pandemic. In spite of the increasing screen time, including eating in front of the television, there was no reduction in the number of days the respondents were physically active.

Physical Activity of Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Scoping Review

“…On the primary variable of interest, most studies (57 studies) reported a decrease in physical activity, both in duration and frequency of physical activity (see Table 1 ). Four studies identified an increase in physical activity [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], whereas six studies could detect no significant difference in physical activity behaviors before and during the pandemic [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Eight studies reported differentiated results with indoor and organized sports and physical activity decreasing, while non-organized and outdoor sports and physical activity increased [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

“…In case of divergence, the consensus was reached through in-depth assessment by both researchers jointly. Quality levels of studies were classified as excellent (scores 26-28), good (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), fair (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), and poor (≤14) following previous applications of the Downs and Black checklist [14].…”

Use of Food Services by Consumers in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. How the Eating Habits of Consumers Changed in View of the New Disease Risk Factors?

“…It should be emphasized that poor food choices in the long term could result in increased risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer [ 115 ]. Many authors also noted positive changes, such as an increase in the consumption of vegetables and fruits, legumes, and fish [ 32 , 33 , 63 , 67 ]. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some authors [ 31 , 68 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 ] have found an increase in the consumption of long-life foods, and a decrease in the consumption of fresh-from-food.…”

“…Some studies indicate the socio-economic effects of pandemic on individual aspects of the world economy [ 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Many previous research papers [ 14 , 28 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 53 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ] conducted during the pandemic were devoted to the impact of the situation on eating habits, adherence to a the Mediterranean diet in Italy, a potential protective role of micronutrients, phytochemicals and Mediterranean diet against COVID-19, the potential to increase the stress level and its associated impact on the pre-existing diseases such as diabetes and changes in the diet of people or the impact of nutritional status in patients with COVID-19 and those who have had the disease [ 61 , 72 , 73 , 74 ]. So far, only a few studies [ 31 , 63 ] have analyzed the impact of the pandemic on use of food services.…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Poles’ Nutritional and Health Behaviour and Quality of Life—A Pilot Study

“…The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The pace of the spread of this virus beyond the Asian continent was very fast, and, as a consequence, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020 [1,2]. It was connected with the introduction of the so-called lockdown (i.e., limiting contacts and movement of people to a minimum).…”