Objective: The lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic affects lifestyle patterns globally and impacts children and adolescents. This study aims to assess the effect of the lockdown on body weight, eating habits, and physical activity of Jordanian youth (children and adolescents).Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 477 Jordanian children and adolescents aged 6-17 y. The study tool was a structured validated questionnaire. It comprised 4 parts, including a general description of the study purpose, sociodemographic and anthropometric data, physical activity data, and food intake pattern. Questions were reported before and during lockdown. Changes in outcomes over the 2 study time points were evaluated.Results: After the lockdown period, the mean body weight and body mass index for age Z-scores (BAZ) showed a significant increase (P < 0.001) compared with before the lockdown period. More than 50% of the subjects reported that they spent more than 3 h in front of the screen during the lockdown. The percent of subjects who watched TV for more than 3h was increased. Moreover, physical inactivity was increased significantly during the lockdown. All food groups consumption was significantly increased during the lockdown compared to before the lockdown.Conclusions: COVID-19 lockdown period was characterized by an increase in the use of screen-based devices, lower physical activity, uncontrolled food intake, and weight gain.

Malnutrition causes diverse alterations in the immune system, and COVID-19 is an infection affecting the immune system, consequently leading to malnutrition. This study aimed to investigate the use of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and selected inflammatory indices for malnutrition screening among COVID-19 hospitalized patients. This is a single-center retrospective study that enrolled 289 hospitalized COVID-19 patients between 1st January to 30th April 2021, their median age was 59 years. Demographic and biochemical data were collected from patients' records. The PNI, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and an early warning score to predict mortality risk (ANDC) were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. A P-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. about 30 % of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and ICU patients had significantly higher levels of white blood cell (WBCs) count, neutrophils, C-reactive protein (C-RP), and D-dimer (P < 0.05). On the other hand, they had significantly lower levels of lymphocytes and serum albumin (P < 0.001; for both). Those with high ANDC scores were more likely to develop severe conditions affecting nutritional status compared to non-ICU (OR = 1.04, 95 % CI:1.014-1.057; P < 0.001). ANDC showed good discrimination ability with an AUC of 0.784 (cut-off value > 68.19 score). It is suggested that ANDC could be used as a predictor for nutritional status and severity in COVID-19 hospitalized patients.

Background: One of the factors influencing health and well-being is dietary patterns. Data on food consumption are necessary for evaluating and developing community nutrition policies. Few studies on Jordanians’ food consumption and dietary habits at various ages have been conducted, despite the increased prevalence of overweight, obesity, and chronic diseases. This will be the first study focusing on Jordanians’ food consumption patterns that includes children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Objective: This cross-sectional study aims to describe the design and methodology of the Jordan’s Population-based Food Consumption Survey, 2021-2022, which was developed to collect data on food consumption, including energy, nutrients, and food group intake, from a representative sample of Jordanians and to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their relationship to food consumption. Methods: Participants were selected by stratified random sampling, using the Estimated Population of the Kingdom by Governorate, Locality, Sex, and Households, 2020 as the sampling frame. The food consumption survey sample was at the population level, representing gender and age classes (8-85 years old). The data collection period was 6 months. Food consumption was assessed using 24-hour dietary recall (2 nonconsecutive days, 1 week apart) interviews representing weekdays and weekends. In addition to data on food consumption, information on the use of food supplements, sociodemographic and socioeconomic status, and health was gathered. Weight, height, and waist circumference were all measured. Results: The survey included 632 households with 2145 participants, of which 243 (11.3%) were children, 374 (17.4%) were adolescents, 1428 (66.6%) were adults, and 99 (4.6%) were older adults. Three food consumption databases were used to stratify the mean 24-hour dietary recall food consumption into energy intake, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and food groups. BMI was calculated and classified as normal, overweight, or obese. Central obesity was classified as normal or abnormal based on the waist-to-height ratio. The survey results will be disseminated based on age, energy, nutrient, and food group consumption. The prevalence of overweight and obesity by age group will be presented, as well as a comparison to the situation in Eastern Mediterranean countries. Conclusions: The survey data will be helpful in nutritional studies, assessing changes in dietary patterns, and developing and evaluating nutrition or health policies. It will be a solid base for developing a future national surveillance system on food consumption patterns with comprehensive food consumption, physical activity, biochemical, and blood pressure data. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/41636

The ratios of fatty acids in different diets and their connection to chronic diseases including obesity and CVD have been researched. The current study set out to detect the dietary fatty acid patterns among Jordanian adults and their relationships with obesity indices. The data of 1096 adults were extracted from a household food consumption patterns survey study. Food intake was analyzed, and fatty acid patterns were determined. After anthropometric measurements, obesity indices were calculated. Two fatty acid patterns were determined (High fatty acids from Protein and Olive Oil sources pattern, and the low Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) pattern), explaining an overall variance of 41.78% and 24.31%, respectively. A significant difference in obesity scores through fatty acids pattern quartiles was only seen among female participants. Q4 of the “High fatty acids from Protein and Olive Oil sources” pattern had a significantly higher means of body mass index (25.12 ± 0.46; p = 0.015), waist-to-height-ratio (0.51 ± 0.01; p = 0.002), weight-adjusted waist index (10.13 ± 0.09; p = 0.021) and body roundness index (3.61 ± 0.15; p = 0.007) compared to Q1, while Q4 of “Low EPA and DHA” pattern had significantly higher means of waist circumference (WC) (86.28 ± 1.34) and a body shape index (ABSI) (10.12 ± 0.30) in comparison to Q1 (WC = 81.55 ± 1.08 and ABSI = 9.07 ± 0.22; p = 0.025, 0.013; respectively). In females, there was a significant association between the “High fatty acids from Protein and Olive Oil sources” pattern and all the obesity indices. Our results suggest that an increase in the high fatty acids from Protein and Olive Oil sources pattern is associated with a reduction in obesity indices, which is opposite to the low EPA and DHA pattern. This was a sex-specific association.