Effects of COVID-19 home confinement on eating behaviour and physical activity : results of the ECLB-COVID19 international online survey
Creators: name: Ammar, Achraf
name: Brach, Michael
name: Trabelsi, Khaled
name: Chtourou, Hamdi
name: Boukhris, Omar
name: Masmoudi, Liwa
name: Bouaziz, Bassem
name: Bentlage, Ellen
name: How, Daniella
name: Ahmed, Mona
name: Müller, Patrick
name: Müller, Notger Germar
name: Aloui, Asma
name: Hammouda, Omar
name: Wrede, Christian
name: Bastoni, Sofia
name: Pernambuco, Carlos Soares
name: Mataruna, Leonardo
name: Taheri, Morteza
name: Irandoust, Khadijeh
name: Khacharem, Aïmen
name: Bragazzi, Nicola L.
name: Chamari, Karim
name: Glenn, Jordan M.
name: Bott, Nicholas T.
name: Gargouri, Faiez
name: Chaari, Lotfi
name: Batatia, Hadj
name: Ali, Gamal Mohamed
name: Abdelkarim, Osama
name: Jarraya, Mohamed
name: Abed, Kais El
name: Souissi, Nizar
name: Gemert-Pijnen, Lisette
name: Riemann, Bryan L.
name: Riemann, Laurel
name: Moalla, Wassim
name: Gómez-Raja, Jonathan
name: Epstein, Monique
name: Sanderman, Robbert
name: Schulz, Sebastian V. W.
name: Jerg, Achim Cornelius Hector
name: Al-Horani, Ramzi
name: Mansi, Taiysir
name: Jmail, Mohamed
name: Barbosa, Fernando
name: Ferreira-Santos, Fernando
name: Šimunič, Boštjan
name: Pišot, Rado
name: Gaggioli, Andrea
name: Bailey, Stephen J.
name: Steinacker, Jürgen M.
name: Driss, Tarak
name: Hoekelmann, Anita
Publisher: name: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Sachsen-Anhalt
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Pandemic
subject: Public health
subject: Physical activity
subject: Nutrition
subject: COVID-19
subject: 613 Persönliche Gesundheit und Sicherheit

description: Background: Public health recommendations and governmental measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in numerous restrictions on daily living including social distancing, isolation and home confinement. While these measures are imperative to abate the spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on health behaviours and lifestyles at home is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey was launched in April 2020, in seven languages, to elucidate the behavioural and lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 restrictions. This report presents the results from the first thousand responders on physical activity (PA) and nutrition behaviours. Methods: Following a structured review of the literature, the “Effects of home Confinement on multiple Lifestyle Behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak (ECLB-COVID19)” Electronic survey was designed by a steering group of multidisciplinary scientists and academics. The survey was uploaded and shared on the Google online survey platform. Thirty-five research organisations from Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia and the Americas promoted the survey in English, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Slovenian languages. Questions were presented in a differential format, with questions related to responses “before” and “during” confinement conditions. Results: 1047 replies (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%) and other (3%) were included in the analysis. The COVID-19 home confinement had a negative effect on all PA intensity levels (vigorous, moderate, walking and overall). Additionally, daily sitting time increased from 5 to 8 h per day. Food consumption and meal patterns (the type of food, eating out of control, snacks between meals, number of main meals) were more unhealthy during confinement, with only alcohol binge drinking decreasing significantly. Conclusion: While isolation is a necessary measure to protect public health, results indicate that it alters physical activity and eating behaviours in a health compromising direction. A more detailed analysis of survey data will allow for a segregation of these responses in different age groups, countries and other subgroups, which will help develop interventions to mitigate the negative lifestyle behaviours that have manifested during the COVID-19 confinement.