Author(s)

Muna Alshammari^1*, Zafer Alajmi², Victoria L. Vidal¹, Fatma Alabdullah³

¹College of Nursing, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Shuwaikh Educational Region, Shuwaikh, Kuwait.
²MoH, Alsabah Health Region, Shuwaikh, Kuwait.
³Maternity Hospital, Alsabah Health Region, Shuwaikh, Kuwait.

Background: 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. Objective: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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 ± 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 < 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 < 0.001). A significant association was found between weight gain and participants who have chronic diseases 27 (56.3%) (X² = 7.621, P = 0.006), felt hungry between meals 37 (50.7%) (X² = 6.505, p = 0.011), and who reported changes in their appetite (X² = 17.129, p < 0.001). Conclusion: 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.

Diet, Lifestyle, Nurses, Covid-19, Kuwait

Alshammari, M. , Alajmi, Z. , Vidal, V. and Alabdullah, F. (2022) Health Behavior Changes among Maternity Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Open Journal of Nursing, 12, 665-682. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2022.1210046.