AUTHOR=Almousa Lujain Abdulaziz , Alagal Reham Ibrahim 

TITLE=Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on diet and physical activity and the possible influence factors among Saudi in Riyadh

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1029744

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.1029744

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background/Aim</title><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading throughout the world, having a significant impact on people’s lifestyles and health through social isolation and home confinement. The purpose of this study is to look into the impact of COVID-19 on diet and physical activity, as well as the possible influence factors, among ≥ 13-year-olds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.</p></sec><sec><title>Materials and methods</title><p>In the present study data were collected from 2,649 participants <italic>via</italic> an online survey. The Google online questionnaire was available from April 23 to May 6, 2020. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the survey asked respondents about their demographic characteristics (gender, age, education, economic income, and occupation), anthropometric data, physical activity, and diet habits.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The study included 2,649 respondents, with 23.3% being male and 76.7% female. The majority of them were in good health and ranged in age from 21 to 29 years. 31% of those polled were overweight, and 14.3% were obese. The majority of respondents have a bachelor’s degree, diploma, or the equivalent, and a monthly family income of ≤ 25.000 SR. Those who were following a healthy diet (32.3%) were unable to maintain it during confinement, with males being affected more than females (42.7%, 29.3%, respectively, <italic>P</italic> = 0.004), and those most impacted were aged 21–29 years (38.0%, <italic>P</italic> = 0.046). Furthermore, 59.5% of males significantly failed to continue exercising during confinement compared to females who exercised consistently (<italic>P</italic> = 0.01). In terms of age, females aged less than 40 increased their exercise rate by about 23.4%, while males aged 40 and up decreased their exercise rate by 25.7% (<italic>P</italic> = 0.000). Moreover, 40.5% of the subjects’ weight increased, according to the findings. However, there was no significant effect on body mass index, despite the fact that 51% of participants were overweight or obese.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The data showed that the COVID-19 lockdown had a negative impact on maintaining a healthy diet (<italic>p</italic> = 0.023*) and physical activity (<italic>p</italic> = 0.000<sup>**</sup>).</p></sec>