Influence of COVID-19 on lifestyle behaviors in the Middle East and North Africa Region: a survey of 5896 individuals

Abstract

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has afected health and lifestyle behaviors of people glob‑ ally. 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 confnement. 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 fnal analysis and 62.8% were females. The BMI of the participants was 25.4±5.8 kg/m2 . Around 38.4% of the participants stopped practicing any physical activities during the confnement (P<0.001), and 57.1% reported spending more than 2 h on social media (P<0.001). There were no signifcant changes in smoking habits. Also, 30.9% reported an improvement in their eating habits compared with 24.8% reported worsening of their eating habits. Fast-food consumption decreased signifcantly in 48.8% of the study population. This direct/indirect exposure to COVID-19 was associated with an increased consumption of carbohy‑ drates (OR=1.09; 95% CI=1.02–1.17; P=0.01), egg (OR=1.08; 95% CI=1.02–1.16; P=0.01), sugar (OR=1.09; 95% CI=1.02–1.16; P=0.02), meat, and poultry (OR=1.13; 95% CI=1.06–1.20; P<0.01). There was also associated increase in hours spent on watching television (OR=1.07; 95% CI=1.02–1.12; P<0.01) and social media (OR=1.09; 95% CI=1.01–1.18; P=0.03). However, our results showed a reduction in sleeping hours among those exposed to COVID19 infection (OR=0.85; 95% CI=0.77–0.94; P<0.01). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in food consumption and sedentary life. Being exposed to COVID-19 by direct infection or through an infected household is a signifcant predictor of amplify‑ ing these changes. Public health interventions are needed to address healthy lifestyle behaviors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic