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Eating habits and lifestyle during covid-19 lockdown in the united arab emirates: A cross-sectional study
Nutrients
  • Leila Cheikh Ismail, University of Sharjah
  • Tareq M. Osaili, University of Sharjah
  • Maysm N. Mohamad, College of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University
  • Amina Al Marzouqi, University of Sharjah
  • Amjad H. Jarrar, College of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University
  • Dima O.Abu Jamous, University of Sharjah
  • Emmanuella Magriplis, Geoponiko Panepistimion Athinon
  • Habiba I. Ali, College of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University
  • Haleama Al Sabbah, Zayed University
  • Hayder Hasan, University of Sharjah
  • Latifa M.R. Almarzooqi, Ministry of Health and Prevention
  • Lily Stojanovska, College of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University
  • Mona Hashim, University of Sharjah
  • Reyad R.Shaker Obaid, University of Sharjah
  • Sheima T. Saleh, University of Sharjah
  • Ayesha S.Al Dhaheri, College of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2020
Abstract

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. 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 the pandemic compared to before the pandemic (p < 0.001). Sleep disturbances were prevalent among 60.8% of the participants during the pandemic. Although lockdowns are an important safety measure to protect public health, results indicate that they might cause a variety of lifestyle changes, physical inactivity, and psychological problems among adults in the UAE.

Publisher
MDPI AG
Disciplines
Keywords
  • COVID-19,
  • Eating habits,
  • Lifestyle behaviors,
  • United Arab Emirates
Scopus ID

85094618827

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series
Citation Information
Leila Cheikh Ismail, Tareq M. Osaili, Maysm N. Mohamad, Amina Al Marzouqi, et al.. "Eating habits and lifestyle during covid-19 lockdown in the united arab emirates: A cross-sectional study" Nutrients Vol. 12 Iss. 11 (2020) p. 1 - 20 ISSN: <p><a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/2072-6643" target="_blank">2072-6643</a></p>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/haleama-alsabbah/13/