Eating Behaviors among Online Learning Undergraduates during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Christine Yeong Ying Pung,Seok Tyug Tan,Chin Xuan Tan,Seok Shin Tan

doi:10.3390/ijerph182312820

Abstract

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) has upended education systems. The pandemic switched traditional face-to-face classes to online classes. Poor eating behaviors in undergraduate students’ lives may affect the well-being of their later stages of life. This study aimed to investigate the eating behaviors among online learning undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 122 students were recruited. The results revealed more than half of the respondents (52.46%) skipped meals. Breakfast (46.72%) was the most skipped meal. The majority of the respondents (94.26%) snacked between meals. Biscuits (88.52%), bread (84.43%), and fruits (80.33%) were the most common snacked foods. Meal skipping was found to be associated with gender (χ2 = 6.83, p < 0.05). In the future, more health interventions program aimed to promote healthy eating behaviors among undergraduates are highly warranted.

Highlights

Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
In view of the rising number of active and death cases, the government of Malaysia ordered the closure of universities, cancellation of all physical classes, and transition to online learning mode under the Movement Control
This study demonstrated that majority of the online learning undergraduates had normal body mass index (BMI) (>50%) and the proportion of respondents with underweight (27%) were found to be higher than overweight and obese (14%) students

Summary

Introduction

Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and declared as a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) in. This pandemic had led to 5,127,696 death cases globally and 29,892 death cases in Malaysia as of 19 November 2021 [2]. In view of the rising number of active and death cases, the government of Malaysia ordered the closure of universities, cancellation of all physical classes, and transition to online learning mode under the Movement Control. This is because the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be transmitted when the infected person coughs or sneezes. To prevent the spread of the virus by practicing physical distancing, the Malaysian education system implemented online teaching and learning

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