Differences in the lifestyle of young women and men during the COVID-19 pandemic in Central Poland

The aim of the study was to determine how the pandemic changed the lifestyle of young women and men from Central Poland. The material consisted of data from students at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw and the University of Lodz. A total of 498 people were examined, including 370 women and 128 men. An online survey was used and questions were asked about changes in nutrition, physical activity and use of stimulants, health status and stress levels. The questions referred to two periods before the pandemic and during the pandemic. The respondents were also asked to provide their body weight and height before and during the pandemic, which were used to calculate the Body Mass Index. The Pearson chi² test and the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA tests were used, <i>p</i> < 0.05. There were statistically significant differences between sexes in dietary supplementation before and during the pandemic and in changes in body weight during the pandemic, portion size and an increase in the share of processed foods in the diet, as well as in the case of self-assessment of the physical activity level, intensity of stress level and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The analyzed factors influenced BMI exclusively in women and encompassed variations in portion sizes as well as alterations in alcohol consumption patterns. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the lifestyle of young adults. Significant differences between the sexes were observed in relation to some of the factors studied, which could be caused by different needs, social maturity, or psychological differences between the sexes.