%0 Journal Article
%T Health Behavior Changes among Maternity Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
%A Muna Alshammari
%A Zafer Alajmi
%A Victoria L. Vidal
%A Fatma Alabdullah
%J Open Journal of Nursing
%P 665-682
%@ 2162-5344
%D 2022
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojn.2022.1210046
%X <strong>Background:</strong> Maternity nurses are frontline health professionals in the COVID-19 pandemic who may confront life-altering challenges. Studies that evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on maternity nurses¡¯ daily lifestyles are limited. <strong>Objective:</strong> The aim of this study was to examine the changes in health-enhancing behaviors, such as eating habits and lifestyle behaviors, during the COVID-19 pandemic among nurses working in a maternity hospital. <strong>Methods:</strong> This was a cross-sectional study that surveyed maternity nurses working in a major government maternity hospital in Kuwait. Data were collected between January and February 2021. <strong>Results:</strong> A total of 336 participants completed the questionnaire. Normal weight was perceived by 88 (26.2%) of the participants, while 56 (16.7%) had a Body Mass Index indicating obesity. Weight gain during the pandemic was reported by 128 (38.1%) participants and 91 (27.1%) of the sample gained one to three kilograms. The findings showed low adherence to the Mediterranean diet 5.3 ¡À 2.5 points. Sleep hours decreased significantly during the crisis, with 113 (33.6%) of participants sleeping 7 to 9 hours during the COVID-19 situation compared to 136 (40.5%) before the pandemic (p &lt; 0.001). There was a significant difference in the proportion of participants who practiced sports before the COVID-19 crisis 78 (23.2%) and those who practiced sports 72 (21.4%) during the COVID-19 crisis (p &lt; 0.001). A significant association was found between weight gain and participants who have chronic diseases 27 (56.3%) (X<sup>2</sup> = 7.621, P = 0.006), felt hungry between meals 37 (50.7%) (X<sup>2</sup> = 6.505, p = 0.011), and who reported changes in their appetite (X<sup>2</sup> = 17.129, p &lt; 0.001). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Maternity nurses revealed low adherence with the healthy diet, with almost a third of participants having self-reported weight gain. Further, the sleeping patterns and the practicing of physical activities were negatively affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
%K Diet
%K Lifestyle
%K Nurses
%K Covid-19
%K Kuwait
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=120672