FRANCO ÁLVAREZ, EVELIA, Urosa, Jesus , Barakat, Ruben , Refoyo, Ignacio
Si
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health
Article
Científica
4.614
0.814
01/03/2021
000628195600001
Physical activity and a healthy diet are key factors for avoiding major noncommunicable diseases. The aim of the present study was to analyze how physical activity (PA) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet among employees participating in the Healthy Cities program have been affected during confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample was composed of 297 employees from 40 leading companies based in Spain, who participated in the 5th edition of the Sanitas "Healthy Cities" challenge. The participants (148 women and 149 men), aged between 24 and 63 years old (M = 42.76; SD = 7.79) completed the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the PREDIMED (Prevencion con Dieta Mediterranea) questionnaire to measure adherence to the Mediterranean diet before and during the pandemic. Pearson chi(2) tests revealed that workers were more likely to show sedentary behaviors during the pandemic than before (83.5% vs. 66.7%). Additionally, they were more likely to reach high levels of PA (51.2% vs. 64%), and Wilcoxon tests revealed that energy expenditure measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) was higher during the pandemic (4199.03 METs) than before (3735.32 METs), due to an increase in moderate PA. Lastly, a higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet during the pandemic (76.4%) than before (54.5%) was reported. The findings of this investigation suggest a positive effect of working from home for employees involved in a health-promotion program, and highlight the relevance of this kind of action among this population.
COVID-19; sedentarism; physical activity; Mediterranean diet; healthy lifestyles