The way that COVID-19 has been handled since its inception in 2019 has had a significant impact on lifestyle-related behaviors, such as physical activities, diet, and sleep patterns. This study measures lifestyle-related behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown using a 22-item questionnaire. The responses were collected from March 2021 to September 2021. A total of four hundred and sixty-seven Jordanian participants were engaged in assessing the changes caused by the pandemic and their effect on BMI. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were tested for 71 participants. Cronbach’s alpha values for the questionnaire exceeded 0.7, demonstrating good reliability and internal consistency. The effect of each question regarding physical activity and dietary habits over the BMI difference was studied using ANOVA. The study shows that more than half of the participants reported snacking more between meals and increased their sitting and screen time, while 74% felt more stressed and anxious. BMI difference among the individuals throughout the lockdown was significantly associated with these variables. In contrast, 62% of the participants showed more awareness about their health by increasing the intake of immunity-boosting foods, and 56% of the participants showed an increase in the consumption of nutrition supplements. Females and married individuals tended to be healthier. Therefore, their BMI showed stability compared to others based on their gender and marital status. Exercise, sleep, and avoiding ‘junk’ food, which contributes to weight gain and COVID-19 vulnerability, are strongly recommended.

INTRODUCTION: the Global-Partnership-Initiated-Biosecurity-Academia for Controlling Health Threats (GIBACHT) consortium conducts a biosafety and biosecurity training for fellows from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. To achieve a multiplier effect, fellows conduct trainings in their own organizations. It was during such trainings that training needs assessments were done assessing reasons for and barriers to biosafety and biosecurity training. METHODS: this was a cross sectional assessment. Trainings were conducted from April to July 2018 and April to June 2019. In 2018, training needs were explored using a structured tool. Responses were coded using manifest content analysis and key issues identified. In 2019, respondents quantified the identified key issues using a likert scale. Proportions of those who strongly agreed, agreed, neither agreed nor disagreed, disagreed or strongly disagreed were calculated and results presented in tables and charts. RESULTS: in 2018 and 2019, there were 183 and 191 respondents respectively. About 96% of respondents in 2018 supported training in biosafety and biosecurity citing individual, community and global benefits. Barriers highlighted included governance, financial, human resource, information and infrastructure challenges. In 2019, majority of respondents indicated inadequate guidelines dissemination, lack of financial resources, inadequate personnel, lack of equipped labs and lack of instructional materials among major barriers. CONCLUSION: support for biosafety and biosecurity training was high though systemic barriers exist. Improving human resource capacity and provision of instructional materials can be achieved through training programs. However, systemic assessments need to be done before each training as different organizations have different barriers.

Propose: The inception of the COVID-19 has put health-care workers (HCWs) in a precarious situation across the world. In spite of the challenges in Jordan, the high awareness and preparedness of HCWs made it feasible for the country to control the contagious virus. The study aimed to provide a useful insight into availability of PPE among HCWs in Jordan, which could help the policy/decision-makers of public health to design better programs based on the information reported. Methods: This cross-sectional online survey was conducted during July 2020 for the evaluation of the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) among HCWs in Jordan. Results: A total of 751 HCWs responded from different parts of the country, who were actively working at different hospitals in Jordan. The majority of the participants (94%) reported having sufficient knowledge about COVID-19 and more than two-thirds of participants (68%) reported that PPE were provided by the Jordanian Ministry of Health. The majority (91%) of participants reported availability of medical face masks, while only 26% reported having facial protective shields. Conclusion: The study highlighted sufficient availability of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have caused minimal infection rates among HCWs in Jordan.

BACKGROUND In Western countries, several studies have reported changes in consumers’ behaviors regarding food safety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shared responsibility of food safety, between governments, food businesses, and consumers, has been well recognized and calls for extra preventive measures and recommendations to be introduced for food handlers, producers, and consumers. Little, however, is known about food safety in developing countries, including Jordan. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the food safety knowledge and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic era in Jordan. METHODS A web-based, self-administered questionnaire, published via the Jordan Food and Drug Administration website and social media platforms (March-July 2021), was utilized. The questionnaire assessed COVID-19 preventive measures (11 questions), food safety knowledge, (13 questions), and food safety practices (12 questions). Descriptive statistics were presented. RESULTS In total, 969 respondents gave valid responses, of which 588 (60.7%) were females, 325 (33.5%) were 38-49 years old, 628 (64.8%) were married, 623 (64.3%) had college or bachelor degrees, 376 (38.8%) were from the central region, 809 (83.5%) were living in urban settings, and 313 (32.3%) had a medical background. The mean (SD) food safety knowledge score was 8.34 (2.33; range 0-13). Mean food safety knowledge scores were significantly different (P<.05) by age, marital status, education, field of study, training in food safety, employment status, monthly family income, and area of residence but not by gender and number of family members. Statistically significant correlations between mean knowledge scores and COVID-19 practice scores (P<.001, r=0.183) and food safety practice scores (P<.001, r=0.346) were detected. CONCLUSIONS Consumers seem to have adequate food safety knowledge and follow COVID-19-related preventive measures, which may transfer to better food practices and prevention of diseases, such as foodborne illnesses and COVID-19. Further studies and interventions in this regard are needed in Jordan.

Background: In Western countries, several studies have reported changes in consumers’ behaviors regarding food safety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shared responsibility of food safety, between governments, food businesses, and consumers, has been well recognized and calls for extra preventive measures and recommendations to be introduced for food handlers, producers, and consumers. Little, however, is known about food safety in developing countries, including Jordan. Objective: This study assessed the food safety knowledge and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic era in Jordan. Methods: A web-based, self-administered questionnaire, published via the Jordan Food and Drug Administration website and social media platforms (March-July 2021), was utilized. The questionnaire assessed COVID-19 preventive measures (11 questions), food safety knowledge, (13 questions), and food safety practices (12 questions). Descriptive statistics were presented. Results: In total, 969 respondents gave valid responses, of which 588 (60.7%) were females, 325 (33.5%) were 38-49 years old, 628 (64.8%) were married, 623 (64.3%) had college or bachelor degrees, 376 (38.8%) were from the central region, 809 (83.5%) were living in urban settings, and 313 (32.3%) had a medical background. The mean (SD) food safety knowledge score was 8.34 (2.33; range 0-13). Mean food safety knowledge scores were significantly different (P<.05) by age, marital status, education, field of study, training in food safety, employment status, monthly family income, and area of residence but not by gender and number of family members. Statistically significant correlations between mean knowledge scores and COVID-19 practice scores (P<.001, r=0.183) and food safety practice scores (P<.001, r=0.346) were detected. Conclusions: Consumers seem to have adequate food safety knowledge and follow COVID-19-related preventive measures, which may transfer to better food practices and prevention of diseases, such as foodborne illnesses and COVID-19. Further studies and interventions in this regard are needed in Jordan.