Assessment of Dietary Habits and Physical Activity Changes during the Full COVID-19 Curfew Period and Its Effect on Weight among Adults in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Nisreen M. Abdulsalam, Najla A. Khateeb, Sarah S. Aljerbi, Waad M. Alqumayzi, Shaima S. Balubaid, Atheer A. Almarghlani, Amira A. Ayad and Leonard L. Williams
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Nisreen M. Abdulsalam: Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Najla A. Khateeb: Clinical Nutrition Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Sarah S. Aljerbi: Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Waad M. Alqumayzi: Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Shaima S. Balubaid: Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Atheer A. Almarghlani: Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Amira A. Ayad: Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies, North Carolina A&T State University, 500 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA
Leonard L. Williams: Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies, North Carolina A&T State University, 500 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-13

Abstract: 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) as compared to before the pandemic lockdown period. Therefore, our results show that a significant difference ( p < 0.05) was found for all the assessments: weight status, physical activity patterns, hours spent on screen time, homemade meals, and changes in dietary habits before and during the full COVID-19 curfew period. This study demonstrated that changes in eating habits were commonly reported among the participants who represented the full COVID-19 curfew period and that changes in eating habits and decreased physical activity led to weight gain.

Keywords: COVID-19; dietary habits changes; weight status; physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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