Lifestyle Changes in Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has made adjustments in lifestyle of young people. Distance learning at university, staying at home for a long time, limiting social contacts lead to decrease in physical activity, changes in eating behavior and psychological problems. All this is only a small part of the  negative impact of the  current epidemiological situation on the health of young people. Aim and Methods. To estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lifestyles of young people, a comparative analysis was made of various aspects of the lifestyles of 208 medical students before the pandemic in 2019 and 100 medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. To collect information, a specially developed questionnaire was used, which included questions about diet, physical activity, bad habits, psychological status, and also measured anthropometric indicators (height, body weight, waist circumference) and blood pressure. Results. Both negative changes in character and regime of taking meal, decrease in physical activity and increase in psychological problems such as stress and depression were revealed among medical students during the  COVID-19 pandemic, which can facilitate increasing the  body weight of young people, as well as increasing the prevalence of bad habits (alcohol consumption, smoking). Conclusions. The existing epidemiological situation with the new coronavirus infection that has developed throughout the world made a negative impact on the lifestyle of young people. Currently, despite the  active fight against COVID-19, it is advisable not to forget about timely monitoring and modification the lifestyle of the young people, which in turn is the key to successful prevention of the most common noninfectious diseases with leading position of mortality throughout the world.

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