Impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on eating habits and physical activity

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous restrictions on daily life, including social distancing and home isolation, affecting the population's eating habits and physical activity level. Objective: Addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating habits and physical activity. Materials and Methods: This is a narrative-type bibliographic review carried out in the Pubmed and ScienceDirect databases, using the associations of the descriptors (DeCS/MeSH) "COVID-19 AND Feeding Behavior ";"COVID- 19 AND Lifestyle " and "COVID-19 AND Exercise ". Results: 14 scientific articles were selected on eating habits and the level of physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: Evidence has shown that the of COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an increase in the intake of foods rich in sugars, fats and sodium and a reduction in the consumption of fresh foods, such as fruits, vegetables and fish, and an increase in sedentary lifestyle among the population, favoring a worrying gain in weight, a risk factor for COVID-19 mortality. Regarding physical activity, it was found that the daily sitting time increased from 5 to 8 hours a day and that the practice of physical activity reduced by 24% during home confinement. Conclusion: Although isolation is a necessary measure to protect public health, the results indicate that it changes physical activity and eating habits, as despite families having more time to cook, there was no improvement in the general quality of the diet and an increase in physical inactivity among them.