Changes in the nutritional profile of medicine students during the COVID-19 pandemic period and its correlation with anxiety: a prospective cross-sectional observational study

Abstract

Introduction: Pandemics cause strong social, economic, and political impacts. Social isolation to reduce the virus’ impact and to retard the health system breakdown caused by SARS-Cov-2 have affected the population’s lifestyle, including medical students. Objective: Identity which impacts the daily meal plan has the COVID-19’s Pandemic caused in medical students; Correlate data obtained in different grades of the medical course and present the nutritional profile of the students, who attended the study. Methods: Survey realized in students of a private medical course in the São Paulo northwestern region, with a questionary containing open questions and tests, sent online in conjunction with the Term of Consent. This study was analyzed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee according to a substantiated opinion number 4.373.785, and obtaining the patient's consent through the Informed Consent Form. Results: 117 students, between the 1st and 4th grade of the course, have attended the following study, 75 female, 42 male, allocated in similar proportions in the 4 initial grades of the course, ages between 17 and 31 years old; Most of the students feel more anxiety (78,6%), associated with changes in the nutritional profile, with the increase of high-energy food, highlighted by the bigger propension of this group to the consumption of sweets and white-wheat pasta in the daily meal plan. It is important to notice that many other food groups have suffered an enhancement in consumption as well, such as legumes, dried meat, vegetal oil, olive oil, and greenery. Conclusion: The COVID-19 Pandemic brought impacts to the daily meal plan of the medical students, especially in the ones who feel more anxious. The enhancement of the daily consumption of food by the medical students is notable, in the most diverse food classifications. However, it is concluded in this study that it cannot be said that anxiety and/or self-declared stress is a risk factor for the increase in food consumption observed, as well as a pattern of its impacts on the students' food, cannot be defined.