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Effect of COVID-19 outbreak on the diet, body weight and food security status of students of higher education: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2022

Tony Jehi Open the ORCID record for Tony Jehi [Opens in a new window] ,
Raihan Khan ,
Reham Halawani  and
Hildemar Dos Santos
Tony Jehi*
Affiliation:
James Madison University, Department of health Sciences, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
Raihan Khan
Affiliation:
James Madison University, Department of health Sciences, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
Reham Halawani
Affiliation:
Halawani Nutrition Consultancy Office, Saudi Arabia
Hildemar Dos Santos
Affiliation:
Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle and Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Dr T. Jehi, fax +540 568 3336, email jehitr@jmu.edu
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted college students’ lifestyles and placed them at a greater risk of obesity and food insecurity. The purpose of the systematic review was to consolidate evidence for the effect of Covid-19 on students’ dietary quality, dietary habits, body weight and food security status. A comprehensive literature search was conducted utilising various databases including Google Scholar, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Embase and Scopus to identify relevant studies. To be incorporated in this review, studies had to include higher education students, measure the prevalence of food insecurity and assess the dietary and body weight changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The studies showed that the diet quality of college students was compromised during the pandemic in many nations due to the decrease in the intake of whole grains, dairy products, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables and the increase in consumption of alcohol, confectionery products and refined grains. There was an increase in the frequency of cooking, binge eating, breakfast skipping and unhealthy snacking. These modifications, in return, were associated with body weight changes, with no less than 20 to 30 % of students gaining weight during the pandemic. The pandemic also impacted food security status of students, with over 30% being food insecure worldwide. The COVID-19 outbreak has exacerbated the students’ diet quality and dietary habits and placed them under high risk of weight gain and food insecurity. Higher education institutions and governments should improve students’ access to nutritious foods and incorporate nutrition education interventions in the curricula.

Keywords

Body weight changesConfinementCOVID-19DietFood insecurityHigher educationStudents
Type
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 129 , Issue 11 , 14 June 2023 , pp. 1916 - 1928
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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