Health-related behavioural changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A comparison between cohorts of French and Italian university students

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Project Summary This study compares the health behaviors of university students in France and Italy, examining how their choices and lifestyles were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study is to contribute to the development of adequate public health interventions. The survey methodology employed an online questionnaire administered to French and Italian cohorts of university students. It was found that the pandemic mainly affected the mental health and sense of well-being of young people in both countries. The pandemic also altered dietary habits, alcohol consumption, sleep quality, and physical activity levels, all of which strongly affect overall health. More critical values were generally found among the Italian students. The study underscores the need to recognize the impact that the pandemic has had on the young Italian and French student populations. Data Description and Collection Overview The aim of the study was to survey some aspects of life (secondary effects of the pandemic) related to university student cohorts. Specifically, using a comparative approach, the authors investigated possible differences between the two groups residing in different countries in terms of how those groups coexisted with the pandemic. The target populations were university students enrolled in para-medical health degree programs (Nursing, Physiotherapy, etc.) and degree programs in Physical Education for Health and Prevention. Information was collected in the post-acute phase of the third cycle of the pandemic. Specifically, the French cohort was surveyed between January and February 2022, while the Italian cohort was examined between March and April 2022. Based on investigations carried out in France, a suitable number of behaviors likely to be conditioned by the pandemic were selected from the literature. Data was collected for these behaviors using standardized tools, validated and recovered in full or partial form. The tool used in the Italian context, which is part of a larger French data set, consisted of three specific sections, to which a fourth, dedicated to describing the sociographic picture of the respondents, was added. The first section examined the general experience of the students before and during the pandemic, seeking to provide an initial picture of students’ habitual daily behaviors. The second section focused on eating habits without neglecting possible deviations related to eating disorders (SCOFF questionnaire - Sick Control One Stone Fat Food) and the possible use or abuse of alcohol and cigarettes. The third framework, based on a scale known in the literature as the IFIS questionnaire (International Fitness Scale), was used to assess the level of physical activity that characterized the subjects’ daily lives. In both contexts, data were collected through web surveys using institutional directories of university degree programs. Students were invited to complete the survey by a message explaining the purposes of the initiative. This message was followed a week later by a reminder message, whose aim was to boost the participation rate. The Italian participation rate of 25.7% was much higher than the French rate, which was just over 10%. A total of 567 participant responses were collected. Of those, 70.5% were from the French cohort and the remaining 29.5% from the Italian one, percentages which reflected the general populations in the two contexts under investigation (approximately 73% and 27%). The national cohort a respondent belongs to is reflected with the variable “Nazione” (Nationality) in the data spreadsheet, with “1” denoting French and “2” denoting Italian. Selection and Organization of Shared Data The data file included contains all de-identified questionnaire responses. This file contains both the Italian and French responses to the same survey questions, but with slightly different answer formats. For example, for variable “covid_1” (Sei risultato positivo al COVID (una o più volte)? / Have you tested positive for COVID (one or more times)?), the responses of the Italian students are captured as “Si” (Yes) and “No” (No), while those of the French students are captured as “1” and “2”. The correspondent categories can be found in the full questionnaire, which is shared (in Italian) as a documentation file. In the spreadsheet, lack of answers because of skip pattern is distinguished from answers that the respondent chose not to provide. The other documentation file included is the recruitment email / consent script used (in English, French and Italian).