Eating habits of Brazilian athletes during the Coronavirus pandemic

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the change in the eating habits of Brazilian athletes during the Coronavirus pandemic. Through a structured online questionnaire, 249 athletes with at least 10 years of practice and/or at least one call by the Brazilian team of their respective modality had their answers analyzed. There was a decrease in the frequency of consumption of vegetables considering the consumption category “5 or more days a week”, with 137 athletes (55.0%) before the pandemic and 113 athletes (45.4%) during the Coronavirus pandemic (p0.05). In conclusion, the study data demonstrate that Brazilian elite athletes showed changes in eating habits as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. This fact draws attention, since if maintained for prolonged or intensified periods, the observed changes could be characterized by the worsening of the dietary profile of Brazilian athletes.

Keywords

• athletes. covid-19. eating habits. pandemic.