- Title
- Diet and lifestyle changes during the Covid-19 pandemic among health care professionals in the Eastern Cape province
- Creator
- Baloyi, Thabile Valentia
- Subject
- Diet
- Subject
- Lifestyle
- Subject
- Health care Professionals
- Date Issued
- 2023-04
- Date
- 2023-04
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/66356
- Identifier
- vital:74718
- Description
- Background: The unprecedented COVID-19 era is one that posed drastic changes and challenges to healthcare professionals and healthcare system at large. During disastrous events such as the pandemic, psychosocial stress is expected among health care professionals with the development of different copying mechanisms. It is therefore important to ensure preparedness among these individuals in the event of future pandemics. It is essentials for healthcare professionals to practice healthy dietary habits and regular physical activity which has a positive impact on the immune system by improving its response to viral and bacterial infections and supports mental health. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine dietary and lifestyle changes among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive, and explorative research approach was followed. Data was collected through an online survey and analysed using MS Excel® version 2209, SPSS version 27, cross tabulation and Pearson’s chi-square test (p-value<0.05) The questionnaire consisted of four sections that had demographics, lifestyle, dietary and COVID-19 related questions. The study sample were Eastern Cape healthcare professionals. Results: The findings indicated that health care professionals’ dietary habits and lifestyle were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 37.5% (n=131) had indicated that their weight had increased, while 20.4% (n=71) indicated a decrease in weight during the pandemic. It is understandable that there was weight gain during the pandemic as these professionals consumed more alcohol and fast foods with less exercise. There was a high caffeine consumption and decreased sleep time, which can affect productivity, resilience and mental health. The negative impacts posed by the pandemic need to be mitigated as it has the potential to lead to non-communicable diseases and cause even more of a burden to the health system. Authorities need to work with different healthcare professionals to develop programmes relating to coping mechanisms during any state of disaster and support wellness initiatives. Dietitians should be involved in order to coordinate and promote healthy eating through regular training and education of other HCP.
- Description
- Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2023
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (137 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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Collections
NMU School of Lifestyle Sciences
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | BALOYI T.V.pdf | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |