Impact of COVID-19 on Lifestyle-Related Behaviours Among Medical Student in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

Introduction: Movement Control Order (MCO) is an initiative enforced by the Malaysian Government to break the transmission of COVID-19. Due to MCO, Malaysians were advised to stay at home, and limit their activities outside their house with school teachings temporarily being transitioned to online teachings and most sectors to work from home. Thus, this study aimed to assess lifestyle change patterns and their associations with socio-demographic factors and weight change among medical students of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Methodology: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among the Year 1 to Year 5 Medical Students. The questionnaire was divided into sections, for gathering information about students’ demographic data, physical activity, screen time and self-reported weight change. Result: A total of 210 medical students from UMS responded to the questionnaire and the majority were aged 21 and above (78.1%), non-Muslims (53.3%), 61 (29.1%) year 4 students and 184 (87.6%) were at their hostels. Based on the questionnaire on physical activity, 147 (70%) students experienced a decrease in physical activity, an increase in numbers in the low active categories from 35 (16.6%) students to 82 (39.1%) students. Screen time recorded an increase among 192 students. The main reason for this included boredom, learning and entertainment (69%). There was a significant association between physical activity and self-reported weight change, where our study showed that a decrease in physical activity has significantly resulted in weight gain in medical students. Conclusion: This study provided valuable insight into weight change, physical activity and screen time during the COVID-19 era among medical students of UMS. Hence, coming up with a solution to reducing screen time and maintaining a healthy level of physical activity even during COVID-19 among medical students is vital.