The Association between Lifestyle Habits and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Confinement among Adult Arabs

Abstract

During the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, health professionals become highly concerned about individual’s physical health and mental wellbeing mainly due to the impact of quarantine. Isolation, and reduced social activities, human connection, and physical interaction can increase mental health complications including depression, anxiety, stress, and varied psychological problems. This study was done to examine the effect of lifestyle factors such as nutritional choices, sleep, and physical activity during the COVID-19 quarantine period among Arab adults living in the Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) region. A cross-sectional design study with a snowball nondiscriminatory sampling procedure was used during the study. The demographic data was collected using an online multi-category questionnaire during the months of March and April 2020, shared with the following tools: Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), WHO-5 wellbeing score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A total of 2754 participants from 18 Arab countries completed the questionnaire [1305 males (47.4%) and 1449 females (52.6%)] with an age range of 35.3±12.6 and 30.6±10.5 respectively. Most participants (59.2%) were reported to have a good mental wellbeing status. A significant positive association was found between sleep and mental wellbeing (p<0.0001). Additionally, those with the self-reported physical activities and good health status were found to have a better mental wellbeing score (p<0.0001). Moreover, participants aged between 32-41 years and those living in rural areas reported a better mental wellbeing score(p<0.05). Our results suggest that mental wellbeing is positively related to getting enough sleep and/or engaging in regular physical activity and/or maintaining a good health. Findings from this study may be used to ameliorate the impact of quarantine on mental health.