Physical Activity and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among Spanish Employees in a Health-Promotion Program before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Sanitas-Healthy Cities Challenge

Evelia Franco, Jesús Urosa, Rubén Barakat and Ignacio Refoyo
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Evelia Franco: Department of Education, Research, and Evaluation Methods, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Jesús Urosa: Sports Department, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences—Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Rubén Barakat: Social Sciences Applied to Physical Activity, Sport and Leisure Department, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences—INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Ignacio Refoyo: Sports Department, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences—Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: 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 (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) questionnaire to measure adherence to the Mediterranean diet before and during the pandemic. Pearson ? 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.

Keywords: COVID-19; sedentarism; physical activity; Mediterranean diet; healthy lifestyles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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