Nutrition features of medical university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction. Training in medical universities is characterized by high labor intensity, a large volume of classroom and extracurricular workload and has a serious impact on health. As it is known, one of the most important components of students' health is a rational diet, moreover, the state of human health is determined by more than 50% and depends on nutrition. Aim. To study the nutritional characteristics of medical university students during the period of isolation due to the coronavirus infection pandemic. Patients and Methods. The study was conducted online using a specially designed questionnaire in a remote format using a Google form. Each question assumed an answer in a time period: before the pandemic and now (the pandemic of coronavirus infection). The study included the results of a survey of 127 students of 4-6 courses of three medical universities of St. Petersburg. Results. 35.8% of our respondents reported three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) before the pandemic. During the survey, the optimal frequency of meals is adhered to by almost 2 times more - 64.1% of students. The commitment to eating fast food was not affected by the arrival of COVID-19 in our lives. There were no significant changes during the period of the pandemic with the use of semi-finished products and compliance with the principles of a balanced diet. Conclusion. In the conditions of the coronavirus infection pandemic, more students began to adhere to the optimal three-time frequency of meals. The pandemic of coronavirus infection has practically not changed the attitude of students to healthy eating - the unbalanced diet, the use of fast food and semi-finished products that took place before the arrival of COVID-19 have been preserved.