Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Lifestyle Behaviours among Italian Physically Active Population

Objective: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency resulting in lockdowns, associated food habits and lifestyle changes and constraint public health delivery. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 induced lockdown in Italy on lifestyle behaviours among physically active population adults. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from April to June 2020 on 175 subjects (48.6% males and 18–66 age range) by a structured questionnaire to collect information on demographic characteristics, anthropometric data, lifestyle factors and dietary habits. Results: It merged that 40% of the sample gained weight (≈1kg) with no significant differences between genders. Alcohol consumption and physical activity practice and duration significantly decreased during lockdown, while physical activity frequency, sedentary activities, sleep times, daily breakfast habits and consumption of sweets significantly increased. A multiple logistic regression model showed that education level, nutritional status, frequency of physical activity, eating between meals, and sweet consumption had a significant effect on weight gain during COVID-19. Conclusions: Lockdown had a bi-directional impact (both positive and negative) on lifestyle changes, because more time was spent at home. These results need to be confirmed with further longitudinal studies among a larger population sample to better understand the lasting effects of this pandemic on lifestyle behaviors and their changes. Key words: Covid-19, lifestyle behaviour, lockdown, pandemic, physical activity.