Eating Habits and Lifestyle during COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: Nutrients 2020-10, Vol.12 (11), p.3314
• Main Authors: Cheikh Ismail, Leila, Osaili, Tareq M, Mohamad, Maysm N, Al Marzouqi, Amina, Jarrar, Amjad H, Abu Jamous, Dima O, Magriplis, Emmanuella, Ali, Habiba I, Al Sabbah, Haleama, Hasan, Hayder, AlMarzooqi, Latifa M R, Stojanovska, Lily, Hashim, Mona, Shaker Obaid, Reyad R, Saleh, Sheima T, Al Dhaheri, Ayesha S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Anxiety; Betacoronavirus; Body weight gain; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Diet, Mediterranean - psychology; Diet, Mediterranean - statistics & numerical data; Disease control; Disease transmission; Distance learning; Eating; Eating behavior; eating habits; Epidemics; Exhaustion; Expatriates; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food; Habits; Humans; Life Style; lifestyle behaviors; Lifestyles; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition research; Pandemics; Pandemics - prevention & control; Physical activity; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Public health; Quarantine; Quarantine - psychology; Questionnaires; Respiratory diseases; Safety measures; SARS-CoV-2; Sedentary Behavior; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Shelter in place; Sleep; Social networks; Stress; Surveys and Questionnaires; Telecommuting; United Arab Emirates; Weight Gain; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12113314

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 ( < 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.