Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama P.O. Box 26671, Bahrain.
Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
Nutrients. 2023 May 30;15(11):2543. doi: 10.3390/nu15112543.
Lifestyle factors such as dietary habits, perceived weight, sleep, and physical activity worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this study, we aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on these lifestyle factors in Bahrain. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1005 adult Bahrainis. Data were collected online using a structured and validated questionnaire for the assessment of eating habits, physical activity, and lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were snowballed through those who agreed to answer the online questionnaire. There was a higher consumption of fast food, and a higher dependence on takeaways during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 63.5% of the participants consumed >4 meals per day, compared to 36.5% before the COVID-19. About 30% reported consumption of sugar sweetened beverages from two to three times a day. Weight loss was predominantly observed in persons exercising 1-3 times a week. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was also high, with about 19% reporting drinking sweet beverages once every day, 10.6% from two to three times a day, and 40.4% from one to four times a week. A higher proportion of the participants reported poor sleep quality during the pandemic (31.2%) compared to before (12.2%), and 39.7% of the participants reported feeling lazy. Screen time use also doubled during the pandemic, with participants spending more than five hours per day on screens for entertainment, which went from 22.4% before to 51.9% during the pandemic. The lifestyle and dietary habits changed drastically for our study participants during the pandemic. The increased reliance on processed fast food instead of healthier options is a challenge to be tackled in any future pandemic situation. Future research needs to focus on strategies to promote healthier lifestyle modifications during situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
生活方式因素，如饮食习惯、感知体重、睡眠和身体活动，在 COVID-19 大流行期间恶化。通过这项研究，我们旨在了解 COVID-19 对巴林这些生活方式因素的影响。在 1005 名成年巴林人中进行了横断面研究。使用经过结构化和验证的问卷在线收集有关 COVID-19 期间饮食习惯、身体活动和生活方式的数据。通过同意回答在线问卷的人进行滚雪球抽样。在 COVID-19 期间，快餐和外卖的消费更高。约 63.5%的参与者每天进食超过 4 餐，而 COVID-19 之前为 36.5%。约 30%的人报告每天喝 2 到 3 次含糖饮料。每周锻炼 1-3 次的人体重减轻居多。含糖饮料的消耗量也很高，约 19%的人每天喝一次甜饮料，10.6%的人每天喝 2-3 次，40.4%的人每周喝 1-4 次。与大流行前相比（12.2%），更多的参与者报告大流行期间睡眠质量较差（31.2%），39.7%的参与者报告感到懒惰。屏幕时间的使用也在大流行期间翻了一番，参与者每天花超过 5 小时在屏幕上娱乐，从大流行前的 22.4%增加到 51.9%。在大流行期间，我们的研究参与者的生活方式和饮食习惯发生了巨大变化。对加工快餐的依赖增加而不是更健康的选择，这是在任何未来的大流行情况下都需要解决的挑战。未来的研究需要专注于在 COVID-19 等情况下促进更健康的生活方式改变的策略。
