Impacto da pandemia da COVID-19 no comportamento alimentar e estado nutricional de estudantes universitários

Abstract

University students are in a time of transition, which can influence their eating behavior. Along with this, the recent situation of the COVID-19 pandemic stands out as a factor with the potential to change social and eating habits. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating behavior and nutritional status of students at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) and the associated factors in the first year and third year of the pandemic in Brazil. All students regularly enrolled in face-to-face undergraduate courses at UFES were invited to participate. The first stage was carried out in the first year of the pandemic, between May and June 2020; the second took place in March 2022, in the third year of the pandemic. The data was collected using an online semi-structured questionnaire with self-reported information. Intuitive eating was assessed using the "Intuitive Eating Scale - 2". To quantify the participation of the independent variables in the outcome (nutritional status), a binary logistic regression of the two stages was carried out. 251 university students took part, with a median age of 22 years. There was a significant increase in body weight, BMI and intuitive eating between the two periods. In the first year of the pandemic, being female reduced the chances of being overweight or obese in the study population by 73.5%, as did using tobacco (91.8% reduction). Living in a marital relationship increased these odds by 21.2 times, and this increase was also observed in individuals who were concerned about weight gain (6 times) and body dissatisfaction (5 times). In the third year, the practice of restrictive diets and inadequate body perception more than doubled the chances of being overweight or obese. Concern about weight gain and living in a marital relationship increased these odds by 4 and 9 times, respectively. Being female reduced the odds of overweight or obesity by 76.2%, and congruence in body-food choices (intuitive eating subscale) by 43.3% in this period. In conclusion, sociodemographic, lifestyle and behavioral variables had both a positive and negative influence on nutritional status during the pandemic. Intuitive eating was shown to be a protective factor during this period, reducing the chances of being overweight in this population.