The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about drastic measures that have significantly altered the norms of daily living. These measures have affected human behaviors in disparate ways. This study seeks to understand the impact of the pandemic on physical activity and dietary behavior among adults living in Kuwait. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 18 June and 15 July 2020, using a questionnaire disseminated through social media, including WhatsApp and Facebook. The target population was individuals aged 21 years or older living in the State of Kuwait. The study included 679 respondents; 57.9% were females, and 67.7% were Kuwaiti nationals. Both genders reported an increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, and carbohydrates, and a decreased consumption of fish and sugary drinks. Compared to males, females reported eating more during the outbreak than their pre-pandemic eating behaviors (32.3% vs. 35.9%, p < 0.05). Approximately one-third of respondents (33.1%) reported performing less than 30 min of physical activity or exercise in a week, and 36.4% of respondents rated their quality of sleep as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. The rate of smoking cigarettes among males was significantly higher than in females (40.6% vs. 5.3%, p < 0.001). Physical activity was positively correlated with vegetable consumption and quality of sleep. Quality of sleep was negatively correlated with the consumption of sweets and snacks, just as the consumption of vegetables was negatively correlated with the consumption of sugary drinks. The overall negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait necessitates the development of health promotion interventions to support positive physical activity and dietary behaviors using alternative coping strategies among the residents of Kuwait.

Background: Nutrition transition towards a Western diet is happening in parallel with the rapidly increasing rates of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in Kuwait. The cardiometabolic deaths attributable to poor diet have not been quantified among Kuwaiti adults. Methods: Using a Comparative Risk Assessment model that incorporated dietary intake data from Kuwait’s first national nutrition survey, number of cardiometabolic deaths from the World Health Organization, and estimated associations of diet with cardiometabolic deaths from the Global Burden of Disease project, we estimated the number and proportion of cardiometabolic deaths attributable to suboptimal intake of 10 dietary factors among Kuwaiti adults ages 25+ years, and by population subgroups. Findings: An estimated 1,308 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 1,228–1,485) cardiometabolic deaths were attributed to suboptimal diet, accounting for 64.7% (95% UI = 60.7%-73.4%) of all cardiometabolic deaths in Kuwait in 2009. The low intake of nuts/seeds was associated with the highest estimated number and proportion of cardiometabolic deaths (n = 380, 18.8%), followed by high intake of sodium (n = 256, 12.6%), low intake of fruits (n = 250, 12.4%), low intake of vegetables (n = 236, 11.7%), low intake of whole grains (n = 201, 9.9%), and high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (n = 201, 9.9%). The estimated proportions of cardiometabolic deaths attributable to suboptimal diet were higher in men (67.7%) than women (57.8%) and in younger adults aged 25–34 years (84.5%) than older adults aged ≥55 years (55.6%). Conclusion: Suboptimal dietary intake was associated with a very substantial proportion of cardiometabolic deaths among Kuwaiti adults in 2009, with young adults and men experiencing the largest proportion of diet-associated cardiometabolic deaths in Kuwait.

Diet is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). While the rate of CVD is escalating in Kuwait, studies examining dietary intake in the Kuwaiti population are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the diet quality of a nationally representative sample of Kuwaiti adults using the first and only National Nutrition Survey. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall among 980 adults aged 20 years or older. Diet quality was evaluated using the American Heart Association (AHA) diet score. Intake and scores of the AHA components were analyzed for the total sample and stratified by age and sex using complex survey regression models adjusted for sampling weights. The mean AHA diet score (maximum 80) was 42.5 ± 0.46. Over 70% of adults consumed insufficient amounts of fruits/vegetables, whole grains, fish/shellfish, and nuts/seeds/legumes, while nearly 80% exceeded saturated fat limits and over 95% exceeded sodium recommendations. Diet quality scores increased significantly with age (P < .0001), with older adults (≥60 years, score = 49.4) scoring notably higher than younger adults (<30 years, score = 37.4). Younger adults had particularly low intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish, while no differences were observed for sodium or nuts/seeds/legumes. Overall diet quality did not differ significantly by sex. Suboptimal diet quality was prevalent, particularly among younger adults in Kuwait. This study underscores the urgent need for targeted dietary improvements and establishes a crucial reference point for future public health initiatives.