Health behavior and anxiety changes during the COVID-19 pandemic among students, faculty, and staff at a US university

Objective To investigate change in health behaviors and anxiety one year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants University students (n = 525) and faculty/staff (n = 136) surveyed in February-April 2021. Methods Cross-sectional survey on health behaviors and anxiety before and during the pandemic. Comparison by time and between groups using paired t-tests and chi-square tests. Results Diet quality of students did not differ comparing before to during the pandemic while diet quality improved among faculty/staff (p = 0.001). Physical activity decreased among students (p < 0.0001). Sedentary time and prevalence of symptomatic anxiety increased among both students and faculty/staff (all p < 0.05). Unhealthy changes in lifestyle and anxiety were more pronounced among those who reported a less healthy diet or weight gain during the pandemic. Conclusions Negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity, sedentary time, and anxiety have persisted approximately one year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in a university population.