Behavior During and After COVID-19 Crisis

Online Survey About Physical Activity and Nutrition During and After Coronavirus Pandemic

A crisis situation leads to changes in life. During December 2019, many people contracted pneumonia in the Chinese city of Wuhan. On January 7, 2020, the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) was identified as the cause of this disease. Within five months, the virus spread around the globe and forced countries to restrict public life. Due to the high infection rates in Europe, a lockdown followed between March and April 2020 (except in Sweden). As the number of infections decreased, European countries began to gradually relax the lockdown from May 2020.

The lockdown and the later stages of loosening have an impact on lifestyle. Institutions of higher education must also adapt to this situation and have switched to distance learning.

The University of Applied Sciences of Bern (BFH), Department of Health Professions with the Departments (DHP) of Nutrition and Dietetics and Physiotherapy, considers the question of the degree to which nutritional and exercise behavior has changed.

The findings provide recommendations for future crises for students and employees of the BFH-DHP.

In order to achieve this, at the BFH-DHP two anonymous online surveys will be conducted.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Sleep; Nutritional Status; Exercise
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Covid19

Detailed Description

There is little evidence of how physical activity and eating behavior changes during a pandemic period and in the period after a pandemic period of students and employees at the BFH-DHP. This observational study will assists to determine the impact of an immediate change within a pandemic on physical activity, nutrition, sleep and alcohol consumption and the consequences after a period of one year.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 1000

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Slavko Rogan, Ph.D; Phone Number: +41 31 848 35 56; Email: slavko.rogan@bfh.ch

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3008
    • Recruiting
    • Bern University of Applied Sciences, Department of Health Professions
    • Contact: Slavko Rogan, Ph.D

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

All students and employees from the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Department of Health Professions participating in the study will be invited to answer the online survey. The sample will include students in different academic degrees: bachelor's degree and master's degree and from different study degree courses (midwife, nurse, nutrition and dietetics and physiotherapy) and employees.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Students from the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Department of Health Professions
• Students from the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Department of Health Professions

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Employees; Employees of the Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences	Behavioral: Covid19; Impact of the COVID19-pandemic on physical activity, nutritional habits and sleeping behavior during an extraordinary period of confinement and social distancing, during the loosening phase and social distancing and the phase after the pandemic.
Students; Students of the Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences	Behavioral: Covid19; Impact of the COVID19-pandemic on physical activity, nutritional habits and sleeping behavior during an extraordinary period of confinement and social distancing, during the loosening phase and social distancing and the phase after the pandemic.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Physical activity 2020	Mean number of minutes spent physically active (standing, walking, running) per day. A validated German short version of the international physical activity questionnaire (iPAQ-SF) will be used to assess physical activity over the last seven days	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period
Physical activity 2021	Mean number of minutes spent physically active (standing, walking, running) per day. A validated German short version of the international physical activity questionnaire (iPAQ-SF) will be used to assess physical activity over the last seven days	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period in 2021

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Nutrition 2020	Mean number of habitual food and nutrient intake per day	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period
Nutrition 2021	Mean number of habitual food and nutrient intake per day	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period in 2021
Alcohol 2020	Liters of pure alcohol per day	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period
Alcohol 2021	Liters of pure alcohol per day	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period in 2021
Sleep 2020	Average number of hours of sleep during the night	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period
Sleep 2021	Average number of hours of sleep during the night	During COVID-19 pandemic crisis: the survey will be conducted within an one month period in 2021

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Slavko Rogan
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Heiner Baur, Ph.D, BFH, Department of Health Professions, Faculty of Physiotherapy

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Taeymans J, Luijckx E, Rogan S, Haas K, Baur H. Physical Activity, Nutritional Habits, and Sleeping Behavior in Students and Employees of a Swiss University During the COVID-19 Lockdown Period: Questionnaire Survey Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021 Apr 13;7(4):e26330. doi: 10.2196/26330.
• Rogan S, Luijckx E, Taeymans J, Haas K, Baur H. Physical Activity, Nutritional Habits, and Sleep Behavior Among Health Profession Students and Employees of a Swiss University During and After COVID-19 Confinement: Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Dec 22;9(12):e25051. doi: 10.2196/25051.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 5, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 5, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): August 6, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 10, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 6, 2020
• Last Verified: August 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: BFH Corona

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: Due to the anonymous data collection, there will be no individual participants' data available. The study protocol will be published in an internationally recognized journal.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No