Global impacts of Covid-19 on lifestyles and health and preparation preferences: an international survey of 30 countries

Background: The health area being greatest impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and residents' perspective to better prepare for future pandemic remain unknown. We aimed to assess and make cross-country and cross-region comparisons of the global impacts of COVID-19 and preparation preferences of pandemic. Methods: We recruited adults in 30 countries covering all World Health Organization (WHO) regions from July 2020 to August 2021. 5 Likert-point scales were used to measure their perceived change in 32 aspects due to COVID-19 (-2 = substantially reduced to 2 = substantially increased) and perceived importance of 13 preparations (1 = not important to 5 = extremely important). Samples were stratified by age and gender in the corresponding countries. Multidimensional preference analysis displays disparities between 30 countries, WHO regions, economic development levels, and COVID-19 severity levels. Results: 16 512 adults participated, with 10 351 females. Among 32 aspects of impact, the most affected were having a meal at home (mean (m) = 0.84, standard error (SE) = 0.01), cooking at home (m = 0.78, SE = 0.01), social activities (m = -0.68, SE = 0.01), duration of screen time (m = 0.67, SE = 0.01), and duration of sitting (m = 0.59, SE = 0.01). Alcohol (m = -0.36, SE = 0.01) and tobacco (m = -0.38, SE = 0.01) consumption declined moderately. Among 13 preparations, respondents rated medicine delivery (m = 3.50, SE = 0.01), getting prescribed medicine in a hospital visit / follow-up in a community pharmacy (m = 3.37, SE = 0.01), and online shopping (m = 3.33, SE = 0.02) as the most important. The multidimensional preference analysis showed the European Region, Region of the Americas, Western Pacific Region and countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity were more adversely impacted on sitting and screen time duration and social activities, whereas other regions and countries experienced more cooking and eating at home. Countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity reported higher perceived mental burden and emotional distress. Except for low- and lower-middle-income countries, medicine delivery was always prioritised. Conclusions: Global increasing sitting and screen time and limiting social activities deserve as much attention as mental health. Besides, the pandemic has ushered in a notable enhancement in lifestyle of home cooking and eating, while simultaneously reducing the consumption of tobacco and alcohol. A health care system and technological infrastructure that facilitate medicine delivery, medicine prescription, and online shopping are priorities for coping with future pandemics

Bulimia and its relationship with some neurotic disorders Factorial - clinical study among female students in Qatar University

تهدف الدراسة إلى التعرف على مدى العلاقة بين الشهية المفرطة وبعض الاضطرابات العصابية (الاكتئاب، القلق، الوساوس) واشتملت عينة الدراسة على (110) طالبة من طالبات جامعة قطر تراوحت أعمارهن الزمنية بين 20، 22 عاما وتم تقسيمهن إلى مجموعتين. (1) المجموعة الأولى ومثلت عينة الطالبات اللائي حصلن على درجات مرتفعة على مقياس الشهية المفرطة، ويبلغ قوامها 591) طالبة بمتوسط عمري قدره 25. 21 عاما وانحراف معياري قدره± 62، 2. (2) المجموعة الثانية ومثلت عينة الطالبات اللائي حصلن على درجات متوسطة أو أقل من المتوسطة علي مقياس الشفهية المفرطة، وبلغ قوامها (51) طالبة بمتوسط عمري قدره 11، 21 عاما وانحراف معياري قدره ± 50. 2. واستخدم الباحثان مقياس الشهية المفرطة (من إعداد الباحثين)، مقياس بك للاكتئاب، مقياس سمة القلق لسبيلبرجر وزملائه، قائمة الوساوس القهرية، إعداد: أحمد عبد الخالق. كماً استخدمت بعض أدوات الدراسة الكلينيكية متمثلة في بعض لوحات اختبار تفهم الموضوع (T.A.T)، مقياس الغرائز الجزئية، استمارة تاريخ الحالة. واستخدم الباحثان التحليل العالمي، ومعاملات الارتباط كأساليب إحصائية للتحقيق من صحة فروض الدراسة. وأسفرت نتائج كل من الدراسة العاملية، والكلينيكية عن: أن طالبات الشهية المفرطة أكثر اكتئابا، وقلقا، بل أنهن أكثر ميلا للأفعال والأفكار الوسواسية عن نظائرهن من طالبات الشهية العادية حيث كانت الفروق دالة عند مستوى 0.001 لصالح طالبات الشهية المفرطة.This study aimed to study the degree of relation between bulimia and some neurotic disorders (Depression, Anxiety and obsession). The sample of the study consisted of (110) female student from Qatar University whose ages ranged between 20-22 years and they where divided into two groups: 1. First group: Students who gained high scores on Bulimia Scale (N=59) mean 21.25 years standard deviation 2.62. 2. Second group: Students who had moderate scores on Bulimia Scale (N=51) mean age 21.11 year standard deviation 2.50. The two researches used the Bulimia Scale - Composed by them, the scale went through the needed statistical procedures, beside, the researches administrated, Beck Depression Scale, Trait Anxiety inventory, Obsession Inventory by Abdel-Khalek., also other scales where used for the sake of the clinical study: e. g. TAT, Partial Distinct Scale, Case history Inventory. Factor analysis, correlation coefficients where used for analysing the data. The factorial and Clinical study revealed, that students of Bulimia disorder are more depressed, anxious and obsessive in comparison with students of medium and low scores on Bulimia scale

Sleep problems in their Relation with some Emotional Disorders.

تهدف الدراسة إلى التحقق امبريقيا من مدى العلاقة بين مشكلات النوم (متمثلة في الأرق- الأحلام المزعجة- هلوسة وقفزات النوم- شلل النوم) وبعض الاضطرابات الانفعالية (متمثلة في القلق- الاكتئاب- الوساوس- العصابة). وتكونت عينة الدراسة من 220 طالبة من طالبات جامعة قطر يتراوح عمرهن الزمني ما بين 20- 24 عاما وقسمت العينة طبقاً لقائمة مشكلات النوم إلى مجموعتين كالتالي: (1) مجموعة الطالبات السويات وعددهن 61 طالبة. (2) مجموعة الطالبات (غير السويات) اللائي يعانين من بعض مشكلات النوم وعددهن 159 طالبة وصنفت هذه المجموعة إلى أربع فئات هي: أ- فئة الأرق وتشتمل على 56 طالبة. ب- فئة الأحلام المزعجة وتشتمل على 41 طالبة. ج- فئة هلوسة وقفزات النوم وتشتمل على 39 طالبة. د- فئة شلل النوم وتشتمل على 23 طالبة. وقد استخدم الباحثان مقياس الاضطرابات الانفعالية (من أعداد الباحثين)، وقائمة مشكلات النوم (من أعداد الباحثين)، كما استخدما أسلوب تحليل التباين ومتابعته باختيار "ت " للتحقق من صحة فروض الدراسة. وأسفرت نتائج الدراسة عن وجود فروق دالة إحصائياً عند مستوى 0.001 لصالح مجموعة الطالبات (غير السويات) في تعرضهن لبعض الاضطرابات الانفعالية. كما أتضح أيضاً من نتائج الدراسة أن فئة طالبات الأحلام المزعجة تأثرن بالاكتئاب والعصابية. بينما فئة مشكلة هلوسة وقفزات النوم تأثرن فقط باضطراب العصابية. أما فئة مشكلة شلل النوم عرضة للعصابية، الاكتئاب، الوساوس. بينما لا توجد فروق دالة إحصائية لصالح فئة مشكلة الأرق في تأثرهن بالاضطرابات الانفعالية موضع الدراسة.The aim of this study was to verify the extent of the relation bwtween sleep problems (insomonia, nightmares, startling, sleep paralysis) and some emotional disorders (anxiety, depression, obsession & neuroticism). The Sample was composed of 220 female student from Qatar University, their age ranged between 20-24 Years. The sample was divided into two groups according to sleep problems: 1- Normal group, consisted of 61 students. 2- Abnormal group, consisted of 159 student, classified as follows. A. lnsomania: N - 56 student. B. Nightmares: N - 41 student. C. Startling: N - 39 student. D. Sleep paralysis: N - 23 student. The researchers disigned the Emotional Disorder Scale and Sleep Problem Inventory, they used Anova and "t" Test to veriby their hypothesis. The results revealed the follows: 1- There is significant differences at 0,001 level on the behalf of abnormal students concerning emotional disorders. 2- Students who suffered from nightmares were highly affected by depression & neuroticism. 3- Startling students suffered from Neuroticism. 4- Sleep paralysis category were affected by neuroticism, depression & obsession. 5- There is no significant differences on the behalf of insomania category concerning emotional disorders

Key lifestyles and interim health outcomes for effective interventions in general populations: A network analysis of a large international observational study

Background: The interconnected nature of lifestyles and interim health outcomes implies the presence of the central lifestyle, central interim health outcome and bridge lifestyle, which are yet to be determined. Modifying these factors holds immense potential for substantial positive changes across all aspects of health and lifestyles. We aimed to identify these factors from a pool of 18 lifestyle factors and 13 interim health outcomes while investigating potential gender and occupation differences. Methods: An international cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 countries across six World Health Organization regions from July 2020 to August 2021, with 16 512 adults self-reporting changes in 18 lifestyle factors and 13 interim health outcomes since the pandemic. Results: Three networks were computed and tested. The central variables decided by the expected influence centrality were consumption of fruits and vegetables (centrality = 0.98) jointly with less sugary drinks (centrality = 0.93) in the lifestyles network; and quality of life (centrality = 1.00) co-dominant (centrality = 1.00) with less emotional distress in the interim health outcomes network. The overall amount of exercise had the highest bridge expected influence centrality in the bridge network (centrality = 0.51). No significant differences were found in the network global strength or the centrality of the aforementioned key variables within each network between males and females or health workers and non-health workers (all P-values \u3e0.05 after Holm-Bonferroni correction). Conclusions: Consumption of fruits and vegetables, sugary drinks, quality of life, emotional distress, and the overall amount of exercise are key intervention components for improving overall lifestyle, overall health and overall health via lifestyle in the general population, respectively. Although modifications are needed for all aspects of lifestyle and interim health outcomes, a larger allocation of resources and more intensive interventions were recommended for these key variables to produce the most cost-effective improvements in lifestyles and health, regardless of gender or occupation

Key lifestyles and health outcomes across 16 prevalent chronic diseases: A network analysis of an international observational study

Background Central and bridge nodes can drive significant overall improvements within their respective networks. We aimed to identify them in 16 prevalent chronic diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to guide effective intervention strategies and appropriate resource allocation for most significant holistic lifestyle and health improvements. Methods We surveyed 16512 adults from July 2020 to August 2021 in 30 territories. Participants self-reported their medical histories and the perceived impact of COVID-19 on 18 lifestyle factors and 13 health outcomes. For each disease subgroup, we generated lifestyle, health outcome, and bridge networks. Variables with the highest centrality indices in each were identified central or bridge. We validated these networks using nonparametric and case-dropping subset bootstrapping and confirmed central and bridge variables’ significantly higher indices through a centrality difference test. Findings Among the 48 networks, 44 were validated (all correlation-stability coefficients?\u3e0.25). Six central lifestyle factors were identified: less consumption of snacks (for the chronic disease: anxiety), less sugary drinks (cancer, gastric ulcer, hypertension, insomnia, and pre-diabetes), less smoking tobacco (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), frequency of exercise (depression and fatty liver disease), duration of exercise (irritable bowel syndrome), and overall amount of exercise (autoimmune disease, diabetes, eczema, heart attack, and high cholesterol). Two central health outcomes emerged: less emotional distress (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, eczema, fatty liver disease, gastric ulcer, heart attack, high cholesterol, hypertension, insomnia, and pre-diabetes) and quality of life (anxiety, autoimmune disease, cancer, depression, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome). Four bridge lifestyles were identified: consumption of fruits and vegetables (diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and insomnia), less duration of sitting (eczema, fatty liver disease, and heart attack), frequency of exercise (autoimmune disease, depression, and heart attack), and overall amount of exercise (anxiety, gastric ulcer, and insomnia). The centrality difference test showed the central and bridge variables had significantly higher centrality indices than others in their networks (P\u3c0.05). Conclusion To effectively manage chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic, enhanced interventions and optimised resource allocation toward central lifestyle factors, health outcomes, and bridge lifestyles are paramount. The key variables shared across chronic diseases emphasise the importance of coordinated intervention strategies

Fear in general populations: A cross-sectional study on perceived fear of common diseases, COVID-19, life events, and environmental threats in 30 countries

Background In this study, we assessed the general population’s fears towards various diseases and events, aiming to inform public health strategies that balance health-seeking behaviours. Methods We surveyed adults from 30 countries across all World Health Organization (WHO) regions between July 2020 and August 2021. Participants rated their fear of 11 factors on an 11-point Likert scale. We stratified the data by age and gender and examined variations across countries and regions through multidimensional preference analysis. Results Of the 16 512 adult participants, 62.7% (n = 10 351) were women. The most feared factor was the loss of family members, reported by 4232 participants (25.9%), followed by cancer (n = 2248, 13.7%) and stroke (n = 1416, 8.7%). The highest weighted fear scores were for loss of family members (mean (Formula presented.), standard deviation (SD) = 3.04), cancer (= 7.00, SD = 3.09), and stroke (Formula presented., SD = 3.24). The least feared factors included animals/insects (Formula presented., SD = 2.96), loss of a mobile phone (Formula presented., SD = 2.98), and social isolation (Formula presented., SD = 3.13). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was the sixth most feared factor (Formula presented., SD = 2.92). Multidimensional preference analyses showed distinct fears of COVID-19 and job loss in Australia and Burundi. The other countries primarily feared loss of family members, cancer, stroke, and heart attacks; this ranking was consistent across WHO regions, economic levels, and COVID-19 severity levels. Conclusions Fear of family loss can improve public health messaging, highlighting the need for bereavement support and the prevention of early death-causing diseases. Addressing cancer fears is crucial to encouraging the use of preventive services. Fear of non-communicable diseases remains high during health emergencies. Top fears require more resources and countries with similar concerns should collaborate internationally for effective fear management

Global impacts of COVID-19 on lifestyles and health and preparation preferences: An international survey of 30 countries

Background: The health area being greatest impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and residents\u27 perspective to better prepare for future pandemic remain unknown. We aimed to assess and make cross-country and cross-region comparisons of the global impacts of COVID-19 and preparation preferences of pandemic. Methods: We recruited adults in 30 countries covering all World Health Organization (WHO) regions from July 2020 to August 2021. 5 Likert-point scales were used to measure their perceived change in 32 aspects due to COVID-19 (-2 = substantially reduced to 2 = substantially increased) and perceived importance of 13 preparations (1 = not important to 5 = extremely important). Samples were stratified by age and gender in the corresponding countries. Multidimensional preference analysis displays disparities between 30 countries, WHO regions, economic development levels, and COVID-19 severity levels. Results: 16 512 adults participated, with 10 351 females. Among 32 aspects of impact, the most affected were having a meal at home (mean (m) = 0.84, standard error (SE) = 0.01), cooking at home (m = 0.78, SE = 0.01), social activities (m = -0.68, SE = 0.01), duration of screen time (m = 0.67, SE = 0.01), and duration of sitting (m = 0.59, SE = 0.01). Alcohol (m = -0.36, SE = 0.01) and tobacco (m = -0.38, SE = 0.01) consumption declined moderately. Among 13 preparations, respondents rated medicine delivery (m = 3.50, SE = 0.01), getting prescribed medicine in a hospital visit / follow-up in a community pharmacy (m = 3.37, SE = 0.01), and online shopping (m = 3.33, SE = 0.02) as the most important. The multidimensional preference analysis showed the European Region, Region of the Americas, Western Pacific Region and countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity were more adversely impacted on sitting and screen time duration and social activities, whereas other regions and countries experienced more cooking and eating at home. Countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity reported higher perceived mental burden and emotional distress. Except for low- and lower-middle-income countries, medicine delivery was always prioritised. Conclusions: Global increasing sitting and screen time and limiting social activities deserve as much attention as mental health. Besides, the pandemic has ushered in a notable enhancement in lifestyle of home cooking and eating, while simultaneously reducing the consumption of tobacco and alcohol. A health care system and technological infrastructure that facilitate medicine delivery, medicine prescription, and online shopping are priorities for coping with future pandemics

Suicidal thoughts, attempts and motives among university students in 12 Muslim-majority countries

There is a scarcity of research on suicidal phenomena in the Muslim world. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the self-reported prevalence of suicidal thoughts, attempts and motives in 12 Muslim countries. A total of 8417 (54.4% women) university students were surveyed by means of a self-report questionnaire. Overall, 22% of the participants reported suicidal ideation and 8.6% reported attempting suicide. The odds of suicidal thoughts were elevated in Azerbaijan, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, while reduced ORs were recorded in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Malaysia. While odds of suicide attempts were high in Azerbaijan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia reduced odds ratios (OR) were detected in Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia and Tunisia. Taking drugs and using a sharp instrument were the two most frequently used methods to attempt suicide. Only 32.7% of attempts required medical attention. Escape motives were endorsed more than social motives by participants who attempted suicide. Suicidal behaviors were more frequent in women than in men. Compered to men, fewer attempts by women required medical attention. Moreover, our results show that making suicide illegal does not reduce the frequency of suicidal behavior. Results from this comparative study show that suicidal thoughts and attempts are frequent events in young adults in countries where religious scripture explicitly prohibit suicide and the frequencies of nonfatal suicidal behavior show large variation in nations adhering to the same religion

Key lifestyles and interim health outcomes for effective interventions in general populations: A network analysis of a large international observational study

Background The interconnected nature of lifestyles and interim health outcomes implies the presence of the central lifestyle, central interim health outcome and bridge lifestyle, which are yet to be determined. Modifying these factors holds immense potential for substantial positive changes across all aspects of health and lifestyles. We aimed to identify these factors from a pool of 18 lifestyle factors and 13 interim health outcomes while investigating potential gender and occupation differences. Methods An international cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 countries across six World Health Organization regions from July 2020 to August 2021, with 16 512 adults self-reporting changes in 18 lifestyle factors and 13 interim health outcomes since the pandemic. Results Three networks were computed and tested. The central variables decided by the expected influence centrality were consumption of fruits and vegetables (centrality = 0.98) jointly with less sugary drinks (centrality = 0.93) in the lifestyles network; and quality of life (centrality = 1.00) co-dominant (centrality = 1.00) with less emotional distress in the interim health outcomes network. The overall amount of exercise had the highest bridge expected influence centrality in the bridge network (centrality = 0.51). No significant differences were found in the network global strength or the centrality of the aforementioned key variables within each network between males and females or health workers and non-health workers (all P-values >0.05 after Holm-Bonferroni correction). Conclusions Consumption of fruits and vegetables, sugary drinks, quality of life, emotional distress, and the overall amount of exercise are key intervention components for improving overall lifestyle, overall health and overall health via lifestyle in the general population, respectively. Although modifications are needed for all aspects of lifestyle and interim health outcomes, a larger allocation of resources and more intensive interventions were recommended for these key variables to produce the most cost-effective improvements in lifestyles and health, regardless of gender or occupation