Assessment of eating habits and lifestyle during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa region: a cross-sectional study (original) (raw)
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2021
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread globally, forcing countries to apply lockdowns and strict social distancing measures. The aim of this study was to assess eating habits and lifestyle behaviours among residents of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the lockdown. A cross-sectional study among adult residents of the MENA region was conducted using an online questionnaire designed on Google Forms during April 2020. A total of 2970 participants from eighteen countries participated in the present study. During the pandemic, over 30 % reported weight gain, 6·2 % consumed five or more meals per d compared with 2·2 % before the pandemic (P< 0·001) and 48·8 % did not consume fruits on a daily basis. Moreover, 39·1 % did not engage in physical activity, and over 35 % spent more than 5 h/d on screens. A significant association between the frequency of training during the pandemic and the reported change in weight was found (P< 0·001). A significant...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The way that COVID-19 has been handled since its inception in 2019 has had a significant impact on lifestyle-related behaviors, such as physical activities, diet, and sleep patterns. This study measures lifestyle-related behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown using a 22-item questionnaire. The responses were collected from March 2021 to September 2021. A total of four hundred and sixty-seven Jordanian participants were engaged in assessing the changes caused by the pandemic and their effect on BMI. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were tested for 71 participants. Cronbach’s alpha values for the questionnaire exceeded 0.7, demonstrating good reliability and internal consistency. The effect of each question regarding physical activity and dietary habits over the BMI difference was studied using ANOVA. The study shows that more than half of the participants reported snacking more between meals and increased their sitting and screen time, while 74% felt more str...
Nutrients
The coronavirus disease is still spreading in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with subsequent lockdowns and social distancing measures being enforced by the government. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the lockdown on eating habits and lifestyle behaviors among residents of the UAE. A cross-sectional study among adults in the UAE was conducted using an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. A total of 1012 subjects participated in the study. During the pandemic, 31% reported weight gain and 72.2% had less than eight cups of water per day. Furthermore, the dietary habits of the participants were distanced from the Mediterranean diet principles and closer to “unhealthy” dietary patterns. Moreover, 38.5% did not engage in physical activity and 36.2% spent over five hours per day on screens for entertainment. A significantly higher percentage of participants reported physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion, irritability, and tension “all the time” during ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic in March 2020. Global efforts have been made to prevent the disease from spreading through political decisions and personal behaviors, all of which rely on public awareness. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of dietary habits on weight and physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was distributed using social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and email communication. A total of 472 adults (age range, 18–59 years), over half of the study population (68.0%) being females, 55.5% being between 19 and 29 years old, 15.0%—between 30 and 39 years old, and 11.2%—older than 50 years old, participated in the study. Our results indicated that the overall body weight was slightly increased among the 50+ age group (47.2%, p > 0.05), but it highly increased among the 30–39-years-old age group (32.4%, p > 0.05...
Journal of Translational Medicine
Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected health and lifestyle behaviors of people globally. This project aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle behavior of individuals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during confinement. Methods We conducted an online survey in 17 countries (Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, and Sudan) from the MENA region on August and September 2020. The questionnaire included self-reported information on lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, eating habits, smoking, watching television, social media use and sleep before and during the pandemic. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle behaviors. Results A total of 5896 participants were included in the final analysis and 62.8% were females. The BMI of the participants was 25.4 ± 5.8 kg/m2. Around 38....
Nutrients, 2021
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about drastic measures that have significantly altered the norms of daily living. These measures have affected human behaviors in disparate ways. This study seeks to understand the impact of the pandemic on physical activity and dietary behavior among adults living in Kuwait. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 18 June and 15 July 2020, using a questionnaire disseminated through social media, including WhatsApp and Facebook. The target population was individuals aged 21 years or older living in the State of Kuwait. The study included 679 respondents; 57.9% were females, and 67.7% were Kuwaiti nationals. Both genders reported an increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, and carbohydrates, and a decreased consumption of fish and sugary drinks. Compared to males, females reported eating more during the outbreak than their pre-pandemic eating behaviors (32.3% vs. 35.9%, p < 0.05). Approximately one-third of respond...
Saudi Medical Journal
Objectives: To investigate how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic quarantine affected Saudi adults' dietary behaviors and lifestyles in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study using an electronic questionnaire was adopted. A total of 476 Saudis residing in Jeddah were involved with the investigation. The study was carried out from March to May 2021. The questionnaire addressed dietary behaviors (types of foods consumed) and lifestyle behaviors (food shopping, physical activity, and sleep quality). Original Article Results: The study participants aged 18-65 years, 70.2% were females, mainly non-infected with coronavirus previously (88.7%). Fast food consumption as (pizza and burgers) decreased significantly during the quarantine period. However, consumption of snacks, sugars, and pastries increased significantly during the quarantine period. This could be attributed to the boredom and distress experience during this period. The results showed that participants reported a significant decreases in daily physical activity and shopping during the quarantine period. There was also a significant change in their sleep quality. Moreover, there were significant differences between males and females concerning eating snacks, healthy foods, sweetened beverages, pastries, physical activity, daily activities (housework and shopping), and smoking behavior. Conclusion: The COVID-19 quarantine period significantly affected Saudi adults' healthy eating behaviors and lifestyle.
Dietary Habits and Lifestyle During Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown: Experience From Lebanon
Frontiers in Nutrition, 2021
This study aimed to examine the impact of quarantine on eating habits and lifestyle behaviors among the Lebanese adult population. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire designed on Google Forms between 3 June and 28 June 2020. The survey questions were adapted from the Short Food Frequency Questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form, and the second version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. A total of 2,507 adults completed the questionnaire. During the lockdown, 32.8% claimed weight gain, 44.7% did not eat fruits daily, 35.3% did not eat vegetables on daily basis, and 72.9% reported drinking less than eight cups of water per day. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the number of meals consumed per day, consumption of homemade meals, sedentary time, stress, and sleeping disturbances during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic (all p < 0.001). However, there was a significant decrease in phy...
Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on food habits, appetite and body weight in Tunisian adults
Journal of Nutritional Science
Tunisia recorded the highest rate of COVID-19 positive cases and deaths in Africa but no studies assessed the impact of the pandemic on eating patterns as in the case of several countries. The objective of the present study was to investigate the perception of changes in food habits, appetite and body weight in Tunisian adults of both genders aged 20–74 years old. A cross-sectional study has been carried out with a non-probabilistic sampling method based on an online self-administered survey. Of overall 1082 adults included in the study, 57⋅8 % reported a change in their eating habits: 21⋅2 % an increase in their consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses, pasta and bread, while 36⋅6 % an increase of homemade cakes and biscuits, sweets, processed meat, sugary drinks and alcoholic drinks. In addition, tea, coffee and herbal tea have been reported as excessively consumed during the lockdown period. More than half experienced appetite variations (34⋅6 % increased appetite and 23⋅0...