Intestinal transit rhythm and associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot study

Social distancing may lead to changes in lifestyle, such as the reduction in physical exercise practice, dietary changes, weight alterations, as well as intestinal rhythm. Our study aimed to investigate the intestinal transit rhythm of adults during social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in association with sociodemographic variables, physical activity, nutritional status, frequency of food intake, and water intake. Our cross-sectional study comprised an online questionnaire that was shared by the internet concerning demographic information (sex and age); physical activity; anthropometric data (reported weight and height); dietary habits information (food frequency of simple high-carbohydrates foods, whole food, and processed foods; water intake; intestinal transit rhythm). The survey was conducted from April and July 2020. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's chi-square test (χ2) or Fisher's exact test, considering p