Impact of COVID-19 on dietary intake, sleeping patterns and physical activity levels among Malaysian University students.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a significant impact on people's behaviour and lifestyles. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of COVID-19 on Malaysian university students' lifestyle modifications. This study aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on dietary intake, sleeping patterns and physical activity levels among Malaysian university students. METHODS: A total of 261 university students were recruited. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were collected. Dietary intake was assessed using PLifeCOVID-19 questionnaire, sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire (PSQI) while physical activity level was assessed using International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Forms (IPAQ-SF). SPSS was used to perform statistical analysis. RESULTS: 30.7% of the participants adhered to the unhealthy dietary pattern, 48.7% had poor quality of sleep and 59.4% engaged in low physical activity levels during the pandemic. Unhealthy dietary pattern was significantly associated with a lower IPAQ category (p=0.013), and increased time spent sitting (p=0.027) during the pandemic. Participants being underweight before the pandemic (aOR=2.472, 95% CI=1.358-4.499), increased takeaway meal consumption (aOR=1.899, 95% CI=1.042-3.461), increased snacking between meals consumption (aOR=2.989, 95% CI=1.653-5.404) and engaged in a low level of physical activity during pandemic (aOR=1.935, 95% CI=1.028-3.643) were the predictors of unhealthy dietary pattern. CONCLUSIONS: The university students' dietary intake, sleeping patterns, and physical activity levels were impacted in different ways during the pandemic. Strategies and interventions should be developed and implemented to improve the dietary intake and lifestyle of the students.

Weight gain, poor mental health and increased sedentary hours among Malaysian adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The Movement Control Orders (MCO) in Malaysia due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the lifestyle behaviours, weight changes, and mental health of the population. AIM: To determine the changes in physical activity, sedentary behaviour, body weight status and mental health status among Malaysian adults before and during the pandemic. METHODS: A total of 338 Malaysian adults participated in this cross-sectional online study. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were self-reported. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were assessed using International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) while the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) were used to examine stress, depression and anxiety, respectively. All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 28.0. RESULTS: The results showed an average weight gain of 0.6 kg among the participants with 45.5% of them experiencing weight gain. In addition, sedentary behaviour (p < 0.001), PSS-10 score (p < 0.001), PHQ-9 score (p = 0.002) and GAD-7 score (p = 0.001) were significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic whereas the level of physical activity was significantly decreased (p = 0.003) during the pandemic. Weight changes during the pandemic were found to be associated with age, sedentary hours, and PHQ-9 score. Through binary logistic regression, sedentary hours (AOR = 1.068, 95% CI = 1.002-1.139, p = 0.043) were identified to be a risk factor for weight gain during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that public health interventions to prevent weight gain should focus on strategies to increase physical activity for sedentary lifestyles.

Inadequate fruits and vegetables consumption among Malaysian adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the eating behaviours of people especially fruits and vegetable intake. No study has addressed the fruits and vegetables intake during the COVID-19 in Malaysia. Aim: to assess the daily intake of fruits and vegetables among Malaysian adults during the COVID-19 outbreak, perceived changes in intake, as well as factors associated with the changes in intake. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through online platforms and a total of 506 participants were recruited. Semi food-frequency questionnaires were used to assess participants' fruit and vegetable intake. Socio-demographics information, knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of fruits and vegetables were collected. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. Results: The majority of participants (99.8%) did not achieve the recommended five servings per day, in which they consumed an average of 0.84 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. 46.4% of participants reported no changes in intake compared to before the outbreak. Fruits and vegetables intake was associated with physical activity level, knowledge, and beliefs of foods that may prevent/cure COVID-19. Binary logistic regression identified two significant risk factors of daily fruits and vegetables intake namely, being a non-Chinese (AOR = 1.905, 95% CI = 1.114-3.257) and having good practices scores (AOR = 2.543, 95% CI = 1.611-4.015). Conclusion: The study found a low daily intake of fruits and vegetables. The findings suggested that nutritional interventions are necessary to improve awareness on consuming more fruits and vegetables to improve overall health.