Objective: To identify, through evidence from the literature, the main factors that
influence the eating behavior of higher education students during the COVID-19
pandemic. Method: Integrative literature review of articles published in Portuguese
and English, available in full in PubMed, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and CAPES
Journals Portal, from February 2020 to September 2021. The descriptors “Social
isolation” were used. ”, “COVID-19”, “Students” and “Eating behavior”, five studies
were selected and analyzed. Results: After analyzing the articles included in the
review, the results of the studies showed that in 3 of them psychological issues
associated with changes in the eating behavior of university students were
addressed. It was observed that those who had some risk of eating disorder or the
presence of symptoms of anxiety, stress and severe to moderate depression had
their eating behavior negatively affected, leading them to adopt less healthy habits as
these aspects were more evident. . In 2 of those selected, adherence to the
Mediterranean diet was approached as a dietary pattern, in addition to the
consumption of fruits, vegetables, fatty foods, sweets and alcoholic beverages.
Conclusion: Changes in the eating behavior of university students are strongly
associated with the stress caused by confinement, resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic. Emotional aspects, such as predisposition to the development of eating
disorders, stress, anxiety and depression, are some of the most influential factors in
the eating pattern during this period. Those with a healthier lifestyle, regular physical
activity and good quality sleep had positive changes during the pandemic, while
those who did not maintain such habits tended to have less healthy eating behavior.
More Brazilian and post-pandemic studies are needed in order to implement effective
strategies to improve the quality of life of this population.
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