DIET AND EXERCISE HABITS OF NURSING ACADEMICS DURING THE PANDEMIC

This study aimed to examine the effects of social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic on dietary and exercise habits of nursing academics. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 393 nurse academics working in Turkey who agreed to participate in the study. During lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 10% of the participants received professional support for diet and exercise. The habits such as consumption of foods that strengthen the immune system and the time spent passively increased, whereas the habit of fast food consumption decreased. The nursing academics in this study showed a positive attitude toward diet and exercise because of their increasing age and the presence of chronic diseases; thus, high scores were observed on the diet and physical activity subscales of the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale (HLBS II) used in this study (p ˂ 0.05). Thus, it is very important for nurse academics to display healthy lifestyle behaviors during the course of the pandemic to be role models for increasing the awareness of the public about the appropriate diet and exercise