Health Promotion Department Measures The Nutritional And Lifestyle Changes During Home Isolation For COVID-19

The Health Promotion Department, HPD, at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs has recently launcheda scientific survey to spot the nutritional and lifestyle changes during the social distancing home isolation stage due to the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UAE. The survey is conducted in cooperation with the University of Sharjah and it is available through the HPD’s website and its social media platforms.

The move comes as part of the HPD’s keenness to double efforts to measure the health awareness of the UAE society.

The survey aims to shed light on the community awareness of the habits that should be followed during home isolation and to spot the changes in the behavioral and food habits among the UAE society during COVID-19 pandemic. It focus on three pillars, including health and physical activity, food habits and the adopted lifestyle. A number of programs and initiatives will be developed according to the results to enhance food and health behavioral patterns.

Supporting national efforts

Her Excellency Iman Rashid Saif, Director of the Health Promotion Department, underlined the HPD’s keenness on measuring the health awareness of community members in line with the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, in terms of making the HPD one of the most important entities in the country in raising health awareness and encouraging community members to adopt healthy lifestyles.

The survey is part of the Department’s awareness programs and campaigns in cooperation with various sectors to support the tremendous efforts made by the country to counter COVID-19 by measuring health awareness levels and preparing a scientific database as a prelude to putting forward solutions and proposals that would enhance the health of individuals and their awareness about the behaviors to be followed to confront this pandemic, in addition to learning more about the healthy patterns and habits and the community commitment to them such as physical activity and eating healthy food, to become aware of the most important steps that can be fostered to improve the quality of people's lives.

She urged the people to participate in the survey to come up with programs and initiatives serving society at large.

Worth mentioning that the HPD has announced the results of its survey to measure the health awareness among Sharjah community. The study showed increased attention to the programs and applications that enhance the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, including the proper nutrition and physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and prevent chronic diseases. The results also showed that 76% of the cohort underlined the importance of exercise in improving the overall health, while 45% of the participants said that they are engaged in physical activity (1- 3 times weekly), as well as the proper nutrition by 75%.