Nutrition features of medical university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

<b>Introduction.</b> Training in medical universities is characterized by high labor intensity, a large volume of classroom and extracurricular workload and has a serious impact on health. As it is known, one of the most important components of students' health is a rational diet, moreover, the state of human health is determined by more than 50% and depends on nutrition. <b>Aim.</b> To study the nutritional characteristics of medical university students during the period of isolation due to the coronavirus infection pandemic. <b>Patients and Methods.</b> The study was conducted online using a specially designed questionnaire in a remote format using a Google form. Each question assumed an answer in a time period: before the pandemic and now (the pandemic of coronavirus infection). The study included the results of a survey of 127 students of 4-6 courses of three medical universities of St. Petersburg. <b>Results.</b> 35.8% of our respondents reported three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) before the pandemic. During the survey, the optimal frequency of meals is adhered to by almost 2 times more - 64.1% of students. The commitment to eating fast food was not affected by the arrival of COVID-19 in our lives. There were no significant changes during the period of the pandemic with the use of semi-finished products and compliance with the principles of a balanced diet. <b>Conclusion.</b> In the conditions of the coronavirus infection pandemic, more students began to adhere to the optimal three-time frequency of meals. The pandemic of coronavirus infection has practically not changed the attitude of students to healthy eating - the unbalanced diet, the use of fast food and semi-finished products that took place before the arrival of COVID-19 have been preserved.