Life Habits of Children and Young People during Social Isolation Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the habits of high
school and primary school students related to diet and
physical activity before and after the period of social
isolation. Furthermore, the relationship between parents'
attitudes about the importance of physical activity and their
children's motivation to engage in it was examined. The
online questionnaire was completed by 25,274 parents of
primary school students and 5,169 high school graduates
from the Republic of Croatia. The results show a trend of
decreasing motivation to engage in physical activities, as well
as an increase in the number of meals consumed per day
among all students. Furthermore, there was a low positive
correlation between parental attitudes and the motivation of
their children to engage in physical activity both before and
during social isolation. In conclusion, this large-scale study
showed that due to social isolation there was a significant
decrease in the motivation for physical activity and an
increase in the number of daily meals.