University Students Eating Habits: Normal Semester vs. Lockdown Period Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, university students’ eating habits may change due to the stress caused by mandatory full lockdown and social isolation, as well as uncertainty about their academic future. An analysis of 332 Portuguese university students from different areas of study was carried out through an online questionnaire to verify if the lockdown period caused by COVID-19 had any influence on the students’ eating habits, as well as if this differed among students from health sciences courses and those from other areas. We found that, compared to a normal semester of classes, during the lockdown period, healthier eating habits were adopted, characterized by a decrease in meal delivery platforms used, self-reported consumption of fast-food, pre-cooked meals, foods rich in sugar and salt, and sugar-sweetened and alcoholic beverages, as well as increased self-reported consumption of vegetables, fruit and legumes, and physical exercise. Thus, although the lockdown led to stress and uncertainty, university students were able to take care of their eating habits and lifestyle, probably as a way of feeling stronger and safer against this disease.

How COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions Affected Kuwaiti College Students’ Anthropometry, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Dietary Habits

“…A study carried out on Portuguese university students showed that healthier eating habits were adopted by the students during the lockdown period compared to a typical semester period. Such healthier behaviors included reduced meal delivery, a lower intake of sugar, salt, and fast food, as well as higher engagement in physical activities and more consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes [35]. The decreased physical activity levels observed in our study, especially among females, are consistent with global trends during the pandemic [27,[32][33][34].…”

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on eating habits and lifestyle of college students in Tabriz, Iran: a cross-sectional study

“…Another Portuguese study, however, found that 58.2% of the participants increased the consumption of fruits and vegetables but reduced the consumption of pre-cooked meals and sugar-sweetened beverages (36). Similar studies carried out in other countries highlighted the improvement in nutritional habits including increased intake of fruits, vegetables, yogurt, legumes, and eggs during the lockdown (13,15,24,25,34,(37)(38)(39)(40)(41).…”

“…Monteiro et al showed that healthier eating habits were adopted by university students during the lockdown period compared to a typical semester period. Their selfreported healthier eating habits included limited application of meal delivery platforms, less consumption of fast food, pre-cooked meals, foods high in sugar and salt, and sugar-sweetened beverages, more consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, as well as more serious engagement in physical activities (34). Enriquez-Martinez et al also conducted a study on 6,325 participants aged over 18 years from five countries, and demonstrated that more favorable patterns of eating choice were observed among those who changed their eating habits compared to those who did not change their eating habits (35).…”

Ensino presencial e remoto durante a pandemia e incidência de COVID-19 em uma Universidade da Baixada Fluminense

“…GALANIS et al, 2021;HAUG et al, 2020;IEZADI et al, 2021). Além disso, estudos realizados destacaram como, consequências para os alunos que permaneceram em ensino remoto durante o período pandêmico, alterações em hábitos alimentares, alterações cardiovasculares, distúrbios do sono, sedentarismo, distúrbios psicológicos, depressão, ansiedade e outros(BIELEC; KWAŚNA, 2022;BIRMINGHAM et al, 2023;BRANQUINHO et al, 2022;JAHRAMI et al, 2022;MONTEIRO;FERREIRA-PÊGO, 2022).…”