ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) presented an opportunity to conduct an online survey to research the psychological fatigue as a mental health issue among the students of Jadara University, Jordan. AIM: This study aimed at assessing prevalence of fatigue in the student population of Jadara University (Irbid, Jordan) and its association with COVID-19 quarantine. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jadara University during a period of 2 months, extending from March to May, 2020. Two-hundred students (43.8% males and 56.2% females) participated in the study and filled forms of the fatigue assessment scale. RESULT(S): Psychologically-tired students constituted 59.0% of the participants whereas the remainder participants were normal students. Moreover, statistically-significant differences in fatigue between students of the various academic years (p = 0.04) were found. The highest proportion of students suffering from fatigue was observed in the fourth-, and 5th-year students (21 out of 42 and 9 out of 18, respectively, [i.e., 50.0%, each]). The lowest proportion of students suffering from fatigue was that of the 1st-year students (29.0%). Significant differences in fatigue were also found between working and non-working students (p = 0.001), where all the non-working students (92;100.0%) suffered from fatigue while most of the working students experienced no fatigue (82;69.0% of the working students). CONCLUSION(S): The current study adds to the growing body of knowledge available to policymakers and mental health practitioners throughout the world about the links between individual mental health and the COVID-19 quarantine.Copyright © 2022 Aiman Shoiab, Alia Khwaldeh, Ali Alsarhan, Ashraf Khashroum, Ayman Alsheikh, Sokiyna Ababneh.
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) presented an opportunity to conduct an online survey to research the relationships between changes in body weight, physical activity and lifestyle during an unprecedented occurrence of forced isolation or quarantine among the population of Jadara University. We distributed an electronic questionnaire (cross-sectional) in Jadara University, Jordan, between March and May 2020, where a total of 200 students were approached (43.8% males and 56.2% females). Of 200 questionnaires returned, during the period of semi-lockdown, both females and males increased body weight significantly (p<0.05). Changes in body weight are inversely correlated with changes in the number of meals and increased stress during the quarantine. Quarantine carries some long-term effects on the rate of food intake and sleeping also affects the total body weight. With the prolonged quarantine, these figures are subject to increase consequently and the drawback on health status may drop to a considerably large percentage in the community. Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Romanian Journal of Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases published by Sanatatea Press Group on behalf of the Romanian Society of Diabetes Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases.