The influence of distance learning on changes in the eating habits of university students under the of the quarantine restrictions of Covid-19

Abstract

The Aim: of the following study is to determine the changes in the eating habits of university students during the transition to long periods of distance learning in the conditions of quarantine restrictions caused by the epidemic of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: It was based on a two-component sociological study, where two online questionnaires were used: "Internet involvement" and "Food model" using the Google form service. Medical and statistical methods were used for data analysis. The target group of the study is day time students of the Uzhhorod National University. The processing of the research results was carried out with the help of the MS Office application program package. Results: Respondents were divided into 3 groups according to the level of their involvement in the Internet: Group I - low involvement (2-3 hours per day), Group II - medium involvement (4-6 hours) and Group III - high involvement in the Internet (more than 7 hours per day). The results of the distribution of the received questionnaires by groups during face-to-face and distance learning and the analysis of answers to certain questionnaire questions reflect the transition of respondents from the group of low involvement in the Internet during face-toface education to groups of medium and high involvement during distance education. The analysis of the eating habits of students during different periods of quarantine restrictions revealed that 66.3% of respondents (124 people) pointed out certain changes in their diet and types of food compared to face-toface and distance learning, whereas 33.7% (63 people) did not indicate such changes. 35.3% of surveyed students mentioned having frequent snacks during distance learning. However, only 10.7% (20 people) of the respondents pointed out that they were eating more fast food during distance learning, and 33.2% (62 people) noted that they were eating fast food more during face-to-face learning. 16.6% of respondents experienced a negative influence on their health, while 23.5% (44 people) experienced some positive changes. At the same time, it should be mentioned that 57.2% of respondents pointed out that their physical and motor activity decreased during distance learning. Conclusion. The eating habits of university students have significant differences during the period of face-to-face and distance learning; this may be related to the increase of the time spent on the Internet. A significant part of students indicates an augmentation in the amount of food consumed during distance learning and a decrease in physical and motor activity. Only 16.5% of respondents noted the negative impact on their health during distance learning. The question of distance learning influence on the health of university students remains open, as some additional research is needed here