Assessment of Dietary and Lifestyle Responses After COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in Selected Arab Countries

Abstract

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has been consistently associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and dietary practices. This study aimed to assess the dietary and lifestyle behaviors of adults after COVID-19 vaccine availability and their attitude toward the vaccine in selected Arab countries.MethodsA cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted between October 2021 and December 2021 using Google Forms (n = 2259). A multi-component questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine, and behavioral, dietary, and lifestyle responses after easing the restriction. Participants were given a score based on the sum of positive dietary and lifestyle changes. The generalized linear models were used to identify the association between positive dietary and lifestyle changes score and sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsWeight gain during the pandemic was reported by 39.5% of the participants, 36.1% reported ever getting infected with the COVID-19 virus, and 85% received at least one dose of the vaccine. The key adverse reactions of the COVID-19 vaccine were fatigue, headache, and joint pain, and the main reason for vaccination was protection against infection. Most participants were concerned about the vaccine side effects (45.8%) and inadequate testing (50.7%). After easing of restriction, 54.3% of the participants reduced the frequency of disinfecting objects, and 58.3% joined social events. Most dietary and lifestyle behaviors remained unchanged after vaccine availability but there was an increase in the time spent behind the screen for work (50.1%) and entertainment (42.9%). The results of the multivariate regression analyses revealed that older participants (p = 0.001), those with higher education (p = 0.010), and those working from home (p = 0.040) were more likely to have higher positive dietary and lifestyle changes scores.ConclusionAlthough most participants were concerned about vaccine safety, low vaccine hesitancy rates were observed among the study sample. The availability of the COVID-19 vaccines resulted in loosening some of the safety social measures among Arab adults but the negative impact of the pandemic on dietary and lifestyle behaviors remained unaltered.

Reasons individuals stop eating questionnaire (RISE-Q) among adults in the United Arab Emirates

“…Likewise, a study conducted during the lockdown in the UAE reported a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among the UAE residents [ 19 ]. This effect remained unchanged after the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine [ 20 ] and it persists in the results of our current study.…”

Nutrition Situation Analysis in the UAE: A Review Study

“…Another study by Cheikh Ismail et al showed that almost one in three people in the UAE reported weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic, concurrently with reports of unhealthy eating patterns, lower physical activity levels, and increased screen time [ 70 ]. In addition, a follow-up study in four Arab countries, including the UAE, indicated that several unfavorable lifestyle and dietary habits persisted even after the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, indicating that people might have continued with eating habits acquired during the COVID-19 lockdown [ 71 ]. One recent study found that smoking was significantly associated with high BMI in university students in both Dubai and Palestine [ 72 ].…”

Eating habits and lifestyle behaviors during COVID-19 lockdown: The Lebanese experience

“…Cheikh et al also reported that close to 40% of the Lebanese participants in their study were not consuming fruits and vegetables on a daily basis [ 31 ], while Dimassi et al reported a significant increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables [ 32 ]. Nevertheless, as a result of the pandemic, almost 40% of the participants have reported weight gain almost [ 33 ]. Unhealthy dietary patterns and weight gain are especially problematic during a pandemic since healthy dietary habits are the cornerstone to enhanced immunity, which could help ward of the severe consequences of viruses [ 34 ].…”

“…This was an interesting finding in our study, as over a third of the individuals reported increasing their intake of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Weight gain is more likely to occur when food intake is increased while physical activity levels decline, as is often the case during lockdowns [ 33 , 43 ]. Although we did not assess physical activity using validated tools, similar studies have found that physical activity levels often fall during lockdown [ 43 ].…”