Changes in physical activity and eating habits during confinement by COVID-19 in university students in Peru

Background: At the end of 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China, some cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were reported, a disease that was later found to be caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, causing the global COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the Peruvian government implemented social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the virus. The objective of the study was to determine the changes in the level of physical activity and eating habits before and after confinement due to COVID-19 in students of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Universidad Cientifica del Sur. Methods: A descriptive, correlational, observational cross-sectional study was carried out on students of Human Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Stomatology/Dentistry, Nutrition and Dietetics, Obstetrics and Psychology from the first to sixth academic cycle (n=487). Two questionnaires previously validated in other studies were used, between the months of February to June 2022. Results: 68% of the participants were between 18 and 21 years old, and 69.2% were women. Regarding physical activity before the pandemic, 43.5% of university students had a high level of physical activity, 20.9% moderate and 35.5% mild or low, and after the pandemic they had 43.1%. of high physical activity, 24% moderate and 32.9% mild or low. The eating habits of university students before the pandemic were 51.1% inadequate and 48.9% adequate, while after the pandemic 51.5% reported inadequate eating habits and 48.5% adequate. Conclusions: The period of confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru has caused positive changes, inducing greater consumption of foods such as oats, vegetables and beans. Likewise, changes were found in the frequency of intense and moderate physical activity before and after the pandemic.