EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON FOOD INTAKE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ANTHROPOMETRY OF BRAZILIAN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a change in lifestyle of the global population, including university students. The purpose of this study was to compare the food intake, physical activity practice and anthropometry of Brazilian undergraduate students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a cross-sectional study with 155 students (24.65±6.27 years) from undergraduate courses, licentiate degree, at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Brazil. The ConVid - Behavior Survey online questionnaire of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation was used to data collection. The variables analyzed were frequency of food intake, physical activity and overweight (according to body mass index) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a reduction in vegetables, fruits, beans and whole foods consumption, an increase in processed meats, frozen meals, snacks and sweets consumption (p<0.001), the physical activity practice decreased (p<0.001) and the frequency of overweight (37.4% to 41.9%, p<0.001) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the previous period. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in the quality of life and health status of the Brazilian undergraduate students evaluated.