Lifestyle behaviours and mental health and wellbeing of tertiary students during COVID-19 lockdown in Australia: A cross-sectional study

Dash, Sarah; Bourke, Matthew; Parker, Alexandra; Dadswell, Kara; Pascoe, Michaela C.

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2022.152324

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 85 publications

(92 reference statements)

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“…The results of the present study are largely consistent with previous Australian findings that overall frequency of consuming alcohol and unhealthy food products did not substantially increase during COVID-19 lockdowns [11,13,14,16,17,28]. Like previous research, the findings indicate specific population subgroups exhibited unhealthy changes in dietary patterns [6,11,[13][14][15][16]29]. These previous studies examined food and alcohol separately, and the present work builds on their findings by identifying males and those with children as being more likely to demonstrate unhealthy changes across several unhealthy product categories during lockdown periods.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Lockdown periods and social distancing measures limit the ways in which alcohol and food products can be accessed and consumed [1], potentially resulting in changes in the patterns of consumption of these products. Greater intake of unhealthy products may impact individuals' physical and mental health, as well as their COVID-related risks through impaired immune and physiological functioning [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Greater consumption of unhealthy products during lockdown has been linked to people using alcohol and 'comfort' foods as a way to deal with the increased stress experienced [1,[8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population Subgroups at Risk of Unhealthy Changes in Food and Beverage Consumption During COVID-19 Lockdowns

et al. 2023

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Background Understanding health behaviour changes during the COVID-19 pandemic can assist in developing strategies to promote healthy lifestyles at such times. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine whether the frequency of consuming unhealthy foods and beverages changed during lockdown and whether certain population subgroups were more likely to make such changes. Method An online survey was administered to a national sample of 4022 Australian adults (51% female, mean age 48 years). Generalised linear models with generalised estimating equations were used to identify whether demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, presence of children in the household, number of people in the household) and beliefs related to COVID-19 were associated with changes in the frequency of consuming alcohol, sweet snacks, salty snacks, and sugary beverages from pre to during lockdown. Results Overall, the frequency of consuming the four assessed unhealthy products did not change during lockdown. However, being male and having children at home were consistently associated with unhealthy changes, whereas believing that alcohol or unhealthy diets would exacerbate COVID-19 severity was linked to a decreased frequency of consuming these products respectively. Age, education, and living with more people were also associated with changes in the frequency of consuming some product categories. Conclusion During lockdown, certain population subgroups appeared to be at increased risk of more frequent consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages. Believing certain consumption habits are linked to adverse health impacts of COVID was found to reduce frequency of consumption of related products, presenting a potential focus for future public health actions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population Subgroups at Risk of Unhealthy Changes in Food and Beverage Consumption During COVID-19 Lockdowns

et al. 2023

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“…In the study, better diet quality was also significantly correlated with fewer symptoms of psychological distress. The increased perceived stress in our study might be explained by reduced social interactions and access to student residency services, increasing academic and financial pressures, and altering the lifestyles of these undergraduates ( 49 , 50 ). Increased stress has been associated with increased intake of foods with high energy density, rich in sugars and saturated fats, and reduced vegetable intake ( 44–46 ), which indicates poorer diet quality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…The shift to remote learning impacted undergraduates. Dash et al ( 49 ) observed high psychological distress in tertiary students during the pandemic. In the study, better diet quality was also significantly correlated with fewer symptoms of psychological distress.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies have shown that with the social distancing measures during the pandemic, there was a reduction in the consumption of healthier foods and an increase in higher energy foods in undergraduates around the world, even causing binge eating associated with high-stress situations and anxiety (14,(44)(45)(46). In Brazil, it was no different, in adults aged between 18 and 29 there was a proportional increase in the consumption of unhealthy foods during the lockdown (47). With social distancing, Brazilian universities experienced the transition from face-to-face to remote learning, where students saw the need to study inmates in their homes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diet quality and associated factors in Brazilian undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2023

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BackgroundDiet quality is associated with psychobiological, psychological, biological, and physiological factors of individuals, and in the context of prolonged stress, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it can lead to a worsening of the quality of food for undergraduates. This study aimed to analyze diet quality and associated factors in Brazilian undergraduates.MethodsData were collected from 4,799 undergraduate students from all Brazilian regions, from August 2020 to February 2021. The online questionnaire contained socioeconomic variables, the ESQUADA scale to assess diet quality, self-referred changes in weight, the Brazilian food insecurity scale (EBIA), sleep assessment and the perceived stress scale. Unconditional multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to study variables associated with poor and very poor diet quality.ResultsMost of participants presented a good diet quality (51.7%), while 9.8% had a poor or very poor diet quality and only 1.1% had an excellent diet quality. 58.2% of undergraduates reported to have an increase in weight during the pandemic and 74.3% of the students presented elevated stress during the pandemic. Logistic regressions showed students who gained weight during the pandemic presented the highest AOR = 1.56 (95% CI = 1.12–2.20) for poor or very poor diet quality. The elevated perceived stress was also associated with a higher AOR = 2.85 (95% CI = 1.71–4.74) for poor or very poor diet quality.ConclusionMost of the studied undergraduates presented a good diet quality. Nevertheless, poor/very poor diet quality was associated with higher perceived stress and weight gain. Our study indicated that policies should beaimed at the socioeconomically most vulnerable undergraduates, those in a situation of food and nutritional insecurity, high perceived stress, and who gained weight during the pandemic.

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Long-term follow-up of brain regional changes and the association with cognitive impairment in quarantined COVID-19 survivors

Zhang,

Yuan,

et al. 2024

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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Lifestyle behaviours and mental health and wellbeing of tertiary students during COVID-19 lockdown in Australia: A cross-sectional study

Cited by 12 publications

References 85 publications

Population Subgroups at Risk of Unhealthy Changes in Food and Beverage Consumption During COVID-19 Lockdowns

Population Subgroups at Risk of Unhealthy Changes in Food and Beverage Consumption During COVID-19 Lockdowns

Diet quality and associated factors in Brazilian undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic

Long-term follow-up of brain regional changes and the association with cognitive impairment in quarantined COVID-19 survivors

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