Changes in health behaviour of medical students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic-focus on physical activity, screen time, sleep duration, unhealthy foods, alcohol, and tobacco.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and the preventive measures led to a change in the health behaviour among the population. Medical students were particularly affected by this. Previous studies primarily focused on few health behaviours, were mostly conducted in 2020-2021, and did not assess the persistence of these behaviours post-pandemic. Methods: A combined cross-sectional and longitudinal approach were applied to examine changes in physical activity, screen time, sleep duration and consumption of unhealthy foods, alcohol and of tobacco. Data from Medical Students at the Technical University of Dresden were collected online as part of the multicenter study "Medical Student Health Survey" in 2020 and 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were applied. Results: Medical students ( Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic led to change in health behaviour of medical students. However, intra-pandemic changes differing from pre-post pandemic changes and interindividual variations in health behaviour change were found. The rise in physical activity, the decreased consumption of unhealthy foods, and the low tobacco use reflect a health-aware cohort. The findings should inform the development of future preventive measures and further research is needed to understand the sustainability and broader impact of these health behaviour changes.