This has led to one in five Australians - and nearly a quarter of the working-age population - to say they are finding it harder than usual to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics survey on the impacts of the coronavirus reveals the most common coping mechanism is increased screen time, with three in five people reporting they had spent more time in front of their television or on their phone, computer or other device.

The next most popular activities were household chores, including gardening, DIY projects or renovations, taking up or spending more time on hobbies, and baking.

Nearly half of all women and a quarter of all men increased their cooking and baking time but the ABS didn't report on how many shared their adventures on social media.

Diets have had a peculiar makeover, with one in five people saying they were eating more snack food such as chips, lollies and biscuits.

About one in seven said they were drinking more alcohol than usual and a similar number were eating more fruit and vegetables.

A sizeable chunk of people were also felt lonely during the crisis as they avoided others and kept to physical distancing rules.

Nearly twice as many women (28 per cent) as men (16 per cent) suffered from loneliness between mid-April and early May.

Women were also more likely to have had trouble managing current health concerns, mental health or chronic conditions.

Nearly all of those surveyed had left their homes during the previous week, with the most common reasons being food shopping or exercising and walking pets.

There were slightly fewer people keeping their distance from others but 94 per cent were still sticking to the 1.5m physical distancing rule.

Australian Associated Press