The Impact of Isolation Measures Due to COVID-19 on Energy Intake and Physical Activity Levels in Australian University Students

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in physical isolation measures in many parts of the world. In Australia, nationwide restrictions included staying at home, unless seeking medical care, providing care, purchasing food, undertaking exercise, or attending work in an essential service. All undergraduate university classes transitioned to online, mostly home-based learning. We, therefore, examined the effect of isolation measures during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia (March/April) on diet (24-h recall) and physical activity (Active Australia Survey) patterns in third-year biomedical students. Findings were compared with students enrolled in the same course in the previous two years. In females, but not males, energy intake was ~20% greater during the pandemic, and snacking frequency and energy density of consumed snacks also increased compared with 2018 and 2019. Physical activity was impacted for both sexes during the pandemic with ~30% fewer students achieving “sufficient” levels of activity, defined by at least 150 min over at least five sessions, compared with the previous two years. In a follow-up study six to eight weeks later (14–18% response rate), during gradual easing of nationwide restrictions albeit continued gym closures and online learning, higher energy intake in females and reduced physical activity levels in both sexes persisted. These data demonstrate the health impacts of isolation measures, with the potential to affect long-term diet and activity behaviours.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on University Students' Physical Activity Levels: An Early Systematic Review

“…One thousand one hundred thirty-seven references were identified after search process in four databases, of which 10 (Ács et al, 2020 ; Barkley et al, 2020 ; Gallè et al, 2020 ; Gallo et al, 2020 ; Karuc et al, 2020 ; Maher et al, 2020 ; Romero-Blanco et al, 2020 ; Sañudo et al, 2020 ; Savage et al, 2020 ; Alarcón Meza and Hall-López, 2021 ) met the inclusion criteria. Figure 1 shows the flow chart of the selection process of the studies.…”

Dietary Habits and Psychological States during COVID-19 Home Isolation in Italian College Students: The Role of Physical Exercise

“…Di Renzo et al [28] investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating habits and lifestyle changes among the Italian population aged ≥12 years, reporting a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the group aged 18-30 years, compared to the younger and the elderly population. Gallo et al [8] investigated the impact of isolation measures on energy intake and physical activity levels in Australian university students, reporting a reduction in physical exercise levels, and an increase in energy intake and snacking frequency. Interestingly, Romero-Blanco et al [29] reported that-during home-confinement in Spain-university students that adopted a Mediterranean diet, also spent more time doing physical exercise.…”

“…In the last months, several articles have been published regarding the effects of the home confinement and social-isolation period on different domains: psychological states [1,2], physical activity [3], nutrition [4,5] or the integration of these [6][7][8][9]. Mood disturbances, such as anxiety, depression, anger and irritability, have been previously reported in several studies during quarantine periods, as reviewed by Brooks et al [10].…”

Have Lifestyle Habits and Psychological Well-Being Changed among Adolescents and Medical Students Due to COVID-19 Lockdown in Croatia?

“…As of recently, more studies have been published on COVID-19 lockdown effects on dietary habits, as well as on other lifestyle behaviors [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 17 , 18 ]. However, most of the previous studies focused on adult population, and only few studies have been published so far about COVID-19 lockdown influence on lifestyle change in adolescents [ 19 , 20 , 21 ] and in medical students [ 22 , 23 ]. Hence, we aimed to investigate dietary habits and other related lifestyle behaviors changes in adolescents and medical students resulting to COVID-19 lockdown in Croatia.…”