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Assessment of Sodium Knowledge and Urinary Sodium Excretion among Regions of the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study
Article

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

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Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
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Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK
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Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (RIMHS), University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
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Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
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Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, UAE
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Department of Health Services Administration, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
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Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
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College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai 19282, UAE
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Nutrition Section, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai 1853, UAE
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Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne 14428, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2020, 12(11), 3314; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113314
Received: 5 October 2020 / Revised: 24 October 2020 / Accepted: 27 October 2020 / Published: 29 October 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Diseases)
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. View Full-Text
Keywords: United Arab Emirates; COVID-19; eating habits; lifestyle behaviors United Arab Emirates; COVID-19; eating habits; lifestyle behaviors
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MDPI and ACS Style

Cheikh Ismail, L.; Osaili, T.M.; Mohamad, M.N.; Al Marzouqi, A.; Jarrar, A.H.; Abu Jamous, D.O.; Magriplis, E.; Ali, H.I.; Al Sabbah, H.; Hasan, H.; AlMarzooqi, L.M.R.; Stojanovska, L.; Hashim, M.; Shaker Obaid, R.R.; Saleh, S.T.; Al Dhaheri, A.S. Eating Habits and Lifestyle during COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients 2020, 12, 3314. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113314

AMA Style

Cheikh Ismail L, Osaili TM, Mohamad MN, Al Marzouqi A, Jarrar AH, Abu Jamous DO, Magriplis E, Ali HI, Al Sabbah H, Hasan H, AlMarzooqi LMR, Stojanovska L, Hashim M, Shaker Obaid RR, Saleh ST, Al Dhaheri AS. Eating Habits and Lifestyle during COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2020; 12(11):3314. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113314

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cheikh Ismail, Leila, Tareq M. Osaili, Maysm N. Mohamad, Amina Al Marzouqi, Amjad H. Jarrar, Dima O. Abu Jamous, Emmanuella Magriplis, Habiba I. Ali, Haleama Al Sabbah, Hayder Hasan, Latifa M.R. AlMarzooqi, Lily Stojanovska, Mona Hashim, Reyad R. Shaker Obaid, Sheima T. Saleh, and Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri. 2020. "Eating Habits and Lifestyle during COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study" Nutrients 12, no. 11: 3314. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113314

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