Assessing physical activity before and during the outbreak of the Corona virus Covid 19

Subject of consultation

In light of the circumstances that you are currently living in, with the outbreak of a of the Corona virus Covid 19 has changed our lifestyle through social spacing, domestic isolation, remote work, and sitting for long periods on various means of entertainment.

 Aim of Consultation

General Authority of Sports invites you to participate in filling out a questionnaire about physical activity before and during the outbreak of the Corona virus Covid 19 to identify the extent of the change in the daily lifestyle of society

https://forms.gle/awkT4aw4ar44XrUA7

Expected decisions

Follow best practices in planning physical activities

Outcome

A study to assess lifestyle and physical activity before and during the outbreak of the new Corona Covid-19 pandemic

Introduction

What the world is going through from the spread of the Corona pandemic (Covid 19) and its various effects on humans, as it has been classified by the World Health Organization as a pandemic disease that has spread rapidly, in a wide range and rapidly spreading, and the methods of dealing with the Corona virus crisis have varied in various parts of the world from country To a country on a large scale, which affected the daily lifestyle of community members and the individual needs differed before and during the Corona pandemic

Within the framework of the social responsibility of the General Authority for Sports in the United Arab Emirates towards that pandemic, the Sports Affairs Department decided that because of its specializations and tasks related to the individual's life from an economic perspective, by educating the citizens and residents of the country about the importance of practicing sports and following a healthy pattern of nutrition and the impact of that on the individual's supply Regular and healthy lifestyle and lifestyle.

As this required the implementation of a study on the impact of that pandemic on an individual's life through various health, physical, psychological, mental and social aspects related to his lifestyle and lifestyle.

So that appropriate solutions can be developed to increase societal awareness of the importance of prevention and overcome it from all sides, as well as the importance of adherence to proper and healthy nutrition and exercise in raising the level of immunity of the individual

From this standpoint, a questionnaire was designed and prepared for the purpose of this study and it included 3 main axes:

1. The pattern of health and nutrition

2. Exercise pattern

3. Daily lifestyle

As through it, dietary habits are identified before and during the Corona pandemic by answering 13 questions about the pattern of health and nutrition, while 12 questions are answered regarding the pattern of exercising, and through it the most important changes that occurred before and during the Corona pandemic are identified and the extent to which this affects exercise While the lifestyle consisted of 7 questions, it measured the extent of the changes that occurred during that period in terms of stress and anxiety, watching TV and surfing the Internet.

the importance of studying

The importance of this study is due to the individual's life and the extent to which this reflects on his productivity at work, the increase in the number of working hours and the lack of absences, as well as his low frequency to hospitals to receive various treatments, and this explains the importance of the role played by the Sports Affairs Department of the Authority, the interest in the economic return of the state and the implementation of its requirements in the short term And remote, and thus direct those expenditures to the establishment of playgrounds and parks for the exercise of sports activity.

Objectives of the study

The current study aims to identify the assessment of lifestyle and the practice of physical activity before and during the spread of the new Corona pandemic and on the 19th through:

• Learn about the impact of the Corona pandemic on health, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle patterns.

• Establishing a specific mechanism on scientific foundations to try to reduce the negative effects resulting from the outbreak of the Corona pandemic.

• Reaching the results and recommendations that can be used to deal with any pandemic or any disaster in the future

• Establishing a mechanism by which any pandemic will be dealt with in the future.

Study Approach

The descriptive approach was used in the survey study method due to its relevance to the nature of the study.

Study population

The study, which was conducted through an electronic form that was published through social media, included the study population, the members of the local community (citizens - residents) in the United Arab Emirates for the age group of 18 years and over.

Presentation of data and interpretation of results:

The study has reached some results, the first of which is general information about the study participants.

Sex

The study targeted 1193 persons, males and females, where the percentage of males reached 60% and the percentage of females 40% of the study sample

Nationality

The study targeted all community members who are citizens of the state and residents, where the percentage of state citizens reached 46% and the percentage of residents reached 54%. The study sample is considered homogeneous due to the convergence of the numbers of the target sample.

age categories

Concerning the age groups over 18 years, they were divided into several categories, where the percentages were as follows

Age ratio of participants

18-25 years 17.4%

26-35 years 25.6%

36-45 years 32.1%

46-55 years 19.7%

Older than 56 years 5.2%

Conclusions

Through the study, the results showed some conclusions about each of the three patterns.

 First: - The pattern of health and nutrition

- Through the study that was conducted on the sample and during the period of the Corona pandemic, it showed that 41% of their weight did not change, and this may be due to the fact that 43% of the study sample did not change the amount of food they had. Also, it was found that 64% of the study sample did not follow any diet ( Diet).

- The percentage of obtaining the daily meal at home during the Corona pandemic was an increase of 15% compared to before the pandemic, while the percentage of delivery service request during the Corona pandemic decreased to 4% compared to before the pandemic, which was 9%. This indicates the extent of the study sample's commitment not to leave Home and adherence to the precautionary measures in dealing with people or mixing with people.

With regard to the number of daily meals, the study showed that the average number of daily meals, which is 3-4 daily meals, was consumed before the pandemic by 56% and increased during the pandemic to 60%. .

On eating breakfast, the study showed that 77% regularly eat breakfast most days of the week before and during the pandemic, and the percentage did not change.

- While the number of cups of water that you drink daily, the number of cups did not change between 5-7 cups, as it reached 35% before the pandemic and during the pandemic to 39%, and consumed 8 cups and more increased to 42% of the study sample during the pandemic, which was 34% before the pandemic This is due to the importance of drinking water in preventing diseases and moderating the temperature of the body.

Second: the pattern of practicing sports

- The study showed that 1,103 people from the total study sample were those who practiced sports before the outbreak of the new Corona pandemic, Covid 19, regularly, and that 90 people did not exercise regularly before the pandemic, the percentage of exercise during the Corona pandemic period inside the home reached 67% and that 33% outside Home, due to the precautionary measures that have been put in place to limit the spread of the Corona virus.

- The study also showed that the highest percentage of the duration of exercising daily, from 45-30 minutes, was 37%, followed by less than 30 minutes, by 28%, and the lowest rate of 5% came for 75 minutes or more to exercise daily.

- As for the goal of practicing sports in the study sample, where the highest percentage for health came to 59.7%, and then by 27.8% to raise immunity during the period of the Corona pandemic, and the lowest percentage came for the purpose of competition, 9.3%.

- The study showed that the best time to exercise for the sample of the study is there is no specific time at 29% due to the presence of most of the study sample working inside the home remotely, and 23% came after afternoon and the lowest rate was 4% in the afternoon.

Third: - The lifestyle.

- The study showed that during the period of the Corona pandemic, 40.8% did not suffer from any tension, and only 4.0% of those who always suffered from stress.

- The study also showed that 32.2% of the study sample did not suffer from nervousness at all during the pandemic period, and the remaining percentages ranged between rarely or some times, in close proportions, due to

Cultural awareness of the negative effects of that pandemic on psychological aspects.

- As the study showed by comparison before and during the pandemic of the new Corona Covid 19 how much time approximately you spend daily watching TV, surfing the Internet and following applications on mobile phones, it was found that 8.8% before the Corona pandemic spent more than 5 hours and that percentage increased significantly, reaching 36.5 % During the pandemic, due to the increase in sitting time at home.

It also showed that the number of sleeping hours from 7-9 hours increased to 52.7% during the pandemic than before the pandemic, which reached 44.9% for the same reason, sitting at home for long periods of time.

The percentage of leisure time ranged between the study sample, albeit equal in practicing sports, reaching 43.4%, household chores 43.3%, and attending workshops and lectures 37.9% due to sitting inside the house for a long time.

Recommendations

1- Providing health, nutritional and psychological counseling during the pandemic period to reduce any tensions and to increase educational awareness in minimizing the negative effects.

2- Conducting specialized future research studies to assess the impact of the Corona pandemic on other aspects, especially the mental and mental health of all age groups.

3- Developing advice and instructions for future diseases, how to prevent and take the necessary precautionary measures

4- Increasing community awareness about healthy eating habits.

5- Paying attention to the necessity of using social media to spread health information.

6- Increasing work on establishing a mechanism for communicating with community members towards the importance of practicing sport.

7- Conducting regular lectures and workshops via social media (for example, Instagram Direct

8- Creating sports programs and virtual activities for all members of society of all age groups

9- Increasing the awareness of community members about eating vegetables and fruits daily and avoiding processed foods

10- Paying attention to drinking herbal drinks during the day because of their importance in increasing immunity and preventing diseases.

11- Drinking a large amount of water, as it should not be less than 8 cups per day.

12- Consolidating the efforts of all community institutions in providing health and sports consultations through direct communication

13- Balancing the nutrients you eat and not giving up any of them suddenly to maintain a healthy and ideal weight for a long time.

14 - Exercising at moderate intensity on a daily basis for a period of not less than 30 s or up to 60 s

15- Increasing awareness of how to increase the body's immunity, especially in such epidemics

16- Less than sitting in front of the television for a long time, so that it does not exceed 5 hours per day

17- Regulating the number of sleeping hours so that they do not exceed 7 hours per day.