%0 Journal Article %@ 1929-0748 %I JMIR Publications %V 9 %N 12 %P e25051 %T Physical Activity, Nutritional Habits, and Sleep Behavior Among Health Profession Students and Employees of a Swiss University During and After COVID-19 Confinement: Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study %A Rogan,Slavko %A Luijckx,Eefje %A Taeymans,Jan %A Haas,Karin %A Baur,Heiner %+ Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Murtenstr. 10, Bern, 3008, Switzerland, 41 31 848 35 56, slavko.rogan@bfh.ch %K healthy lifestyle %K pandemic %K public health %K universities %K COVID-19 %K SARS-CoV-2 %D 2020 %7 22.12.2020 %9 Protocol %J JMIR Res Protoc %G English %X Background: SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus strain, has resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020. To contain the transmission of this virus, the Swiss Federal Council ordered a nationwide lockdown of all nonessential businesses. Accordingly, students and employees of institutions for higher education were informed to continue their academic programs through home-office settings and online lectures. Objective: This longitudinal survey aims to evaluate various lifestyle habits such as physical activity, nutritional habits, and sleep behavior among students and employees of a Swiss University of Applied Sciences during a 2-month period of confinement and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and 1 year thereafter. Methods: This paper describes a protocol for a retrospective and prospective observational cohort study. Students and employees of Bern University of Applied Sciences, Department of Health Professions, were invited to anonymously complete a web-based survey during the COVID-19 confinement period. This will be followed by a second survey, scheduled 1 year after the lockdown. Information on various lifestyle aspects, including physical activity, nutritional habits, and sleep behavior, will be collected using adaptations of existing validated questionnaires. Results: This longitudinal study started during the government-ordered confinement period in Switzerland in mid-April 2020 and will end in mid-2021. Conclusions: The findings of this survey will provide information about the impact of confinement during the COVID-19 crisis on the physical activity, nutritional habits, and sleep behavior of students and employees of a Swiss institute. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04502108; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04502108 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/25051 %M 33296868 %R 10.2196/25051 %U http://www.researchprotocols.org/2020/12/e25051/ %U https://doi.org/10.2196/25051 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33296868