The restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have impacted the majority of life domains. To evaluate their potential consequences on physical activity (PA) and dietary habits among Polish undergraduates, a survey consisting of the IPAQ-SF, authors’ questions based on the Polish National Institute of Public Health recommendations, and authors’ questions scaled −5/0/5 on personal opinion was created and administered between 22 February and 3 April 2021. A total of 1323 students met the study conditions (1021 females, 297 males, 5 did not specify gender, mean age: 22 years old (SD = 4), mean BMI = 22.27 kg/m² (SD = 3.87)). A total of 27.21% of students were in the low, 48.53% in the moderate, and 24.26% in the high PA group. A total of 71.94% estimated that the pandemic had a negative impact on their PA, 8.16% no impact, and 19.9% a positive impact. A total of 35.5% had an insufficient intake of vegetables, 34.3% declared adding salt to meals, and 31.6% ate animal-based products the majority of days in a week or every day. A total of 51.02% assessed the impact of the pandemic on their nutrition as negative, 20.11% did not notice changes, and 28.87% reported a positive impact on their dietary habits. Most of the students saw harmful pandemic effects on their diet and PA compared to the times before restrictions. This can lead to a higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic and imposed restrictions had negative consequences on overall health among many populations. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the pandemic on eating disorders (ED) and mental health (MH) of individuals with confirmed ED diagnoses. A survey consisting of questions related to (1) diagnosis of COVID-19, (2) changes in ED symptoms and onset of new symptoms, (3) psychological and MH aspects regarding to the pandemic, (4) lifestyle changes, and (5) social media (SM) usage was distributed between April–June 2021. One hundred and ninety-eight individuals met all of the inclusion criteria (n_females = 195, 98.48%; n_{other gender} = 3, 1.52%). Of the participants, 78.79% reported worsening of their ED symptoms, 42.93% of them noticed an onset of new ED symptoms, and 57.58% believed that the pandemic had a negative impact on their ED treatment. Negative changes due to the pandemic on MH were reported by 88.89%. Of the participants, 91.92% increased their time spent on SM and 54.04% of them declared that it had a negative impact on their MH. Medical professionals should consider results while providing comprehensive psychological care, which can be crucial information in the application of the appropriate treatment strategy.

Introduction: In Poland, it is estimated that more than 2 million individuals have diabetes. Intervening in modifiable risk factors can effectively prevent and delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Previous reports claimed that the Polish healthcare system did not guarantee proper nutrition and nutritional education. This publication aimed to examine the dietary provisions for diabetic patients in Poland's hospitals and evaluate their compliance with the "Good Meal in the Hospital" guidelines.Material and methods: Hospital workers were asked to fulfil the survey regarding hospital (degree of reference, number of beds in total and internal medicine unit, availability of diet dedicated to diabetic patient, performing nutritional education and presence of dietitian) and attach menus from meals received by patients from following 10 days. Then the menus were analyzed, compared to self-made model menu and “Dobry Posiłek w Szpitalu” (Good Meal in Hospital) guidelines.Results: Seventy menus from seven hospitals were examined. Five hospitals met eight and two hospitals met seven out of thirteen criteria. The discrepancies particularly concerned excessive levels of saturated fatty acids and mono- and disaccharides, and insufficient amounts of legumes and fish in the hospital diets. Only four out of seven hospitals had a resident dietitian present.Conclusions: Providing meals containing typical nutritional errors representing the pattern of the Polish population during hospitalization may lead to potential post-discharge dietary errors. They might result in deterioration in glycemic regulation, lipid profiles, and heightened susceptibility to complications, including an elevated cardiovascular risk.

Nutritional education leading to a change in current eating patterns begins in the hospital and is essential to improve patients’ health and quality of life. Nutrition is a crucial part of the treatment process. Currently, the issue of the quality of hospital meals is underestimated and frequently ignored. In recent years, this topic has become particularly important as more attention is paid to the economic aspects of treatment. However, we do not acquire reliable data. The latest credible analysis can be found in the report of the Supreme Audit Office from 2018. It revealed that the Polish healthcare system did not provide proper nutrition. According to some law interpreters, incorrect nutrition is inconsistent with current medical knowledge and should be considered a violation of the Act on Patient Rights and the Act on the Patient Ombudsman. Currently, we lack legal regulations regarding the profession of dietitians and the rules of their employment in medical facilities. Even though dietitian is a regulated profession, legally is not a medical profession. Therefore, it is not included in the employment structure in healthcare facilities. Patients depend on nutritional care from doctors and nurses who often do not have time resources and are not suitably educated in the topic. The article aims to present and summarize current knowledge about the quality and organization of nutrition in Polish hospitals. It also presents legal aspects of nutritional care planning, the legal situation of dietitians and guidelines regarding the principles of nutrition for patients, especially cardiac patients. Keywords: hospital nutrition patient care legal aspects cardiovascular disease guidelines