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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the lifestyle and health of children and adolescents. This study aimed to assess the lifestyle changes brought about by COVID-19-related school closures and their impact on the Body Mass Index for Age Z (BAZ) scores of governmental school students in Qatar. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between June and August 2022 targeting students aged 8–15 years. Data on lifestyle behaviors were gathered through telephone interviews with parents of selected students. The BAZ scores before and after school closures that were automatically calculated by the electronic health records system were extracted. Results We completed 1546 interviews. We found a significant increase in unhealthy food categories, a reduction in physical activity and an increase in the screen time over the period of schools' closure. The BAZ increased significantly by 0.30 (95% CI 0.26–0.35). The increase in BAZ scores was significantly higher among male students and the younger age group compared to females and older counterparts, respectively. The student's age group, sex, nationality and change in physical activity were significant predictors of the change in BAZ scores. Conclusions School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the lifestyle of students in Qatar and resulted in a significant increase in the BAZ scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of people are looking forward to the biggest event this year "FIFA World Cup 2022" taking place in the state of Qatar. This event is an opportunity for people around the world to socialize, connect, celebrate, and enjoy watching football matches. However, the emotional stress experienced by football players and fans during a such major sport event can sometimes result in unfavorable physiological responses that can adversely affect the heart leading to adverse cardiac consequences. In this mini-review, we summarized the evidence and pathophysiology of stress-induced cardiac events during football games, and the potential strategies to prevent stress-induced cardiac events during the FIFA World Cup 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the impact of changing work arrangements during COVID-19 on diet, physical activity, body weight, and sleep of Qatar's working population. Methods: A web-based survey targeting working adults who were residing in Qatar during the period of home confinement was conducted. Results: About 47% of 1061 participants reported weight gain. Higher proportions of participants reported consuming more fatty foods (P = 0.007), more sugary foods (P = 0.001), and greater increase in screen and sitting/reclining times (P < 0.001) among the work from home (WFH) group. Participants with higher adverse dietary changes score were more likely to report weight gain in both the WFH (adjusted OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.49), and working regularly groups (adjusted OR, 1.31, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.43) with P < 0.001. Conclusion: Qatar's working population experienced adverse lifestyle changes which were more prominent among those who shifted to WFH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Qatar experienced a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic that disproportionately affected the craft and manual worker (CMW) population, who comprise 60% of the total population. This study aimed to assess ever and/or current infection prevalence in this population., Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted during July 26 to September 09, 2020, to assess both anti-SARS-CoV-2 positivity through serological testing and current infection positivity through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Associations with antibody and PCR positivity were identified through regression analyses., Results: The study included 2641 participants, 69.3% of whom were <40 years of age. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 55.3% (95% CI, 53.3%-57.3%) and was significantly associated with nationality, geographic location, educational attainment, occupation, and previous infection diagnosis. PCR positivity was 11.3% (95% CI, 9.9%-12.8%) and was significantly associated with nationality, geographic location, occupation, contact with an infected person, and reporting 2 or more symptoms. Infection positivity (antibody and/or PCR positive) was 60.6% (95% CI, 58.6%-62.5%). The proportion of antibody-positive CMWs who had a prior SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was 9.3% (95% CI, 7.9%-11.0%). Only seven infections were ever severe, and only 1 was ever critical-an infection severity rate of 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2%-1.0%)., Conclusions: Six in every 10 CMWs in Qatar have been infected, suggestive of reaching the herd immunity threshold. Infection severity was low, with only 1 in every 200 infections progressing to be severe or critical. Only 1 in every 10 infections had been previously diagnosed, which is suggestive of mostly asymptomatic or mild infections., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)