Saoussen Alouani
Monastir, University hospital of Monastir, TunisiaTitle : Eating disorder and anxiety during Covid-19 pandemic: The Maghrebian experience
Abstract
The Coronavirus pandemic is
considered the worst hit that the world had witnessed in centuries. The impact
of the pandemic, especially during the lockdown, was not only diverse but also
worldwide. The African continent, including the Maghreb, was no exception. The
aim of this study was to assess levels of anxiety and eating behaviors and
their correlations in Maghrebian countries following the official outbreak of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is a cross-sectional
study of 754 participants from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. it took place
between April the 30th and July the 2sd 2020. The survey showed that eating
disorder represented 45.9% of the sample while 26.8% (202 participants) matched
the Anxiety criteria. Statistical significant factors for eating disorder were
male gender (p=0.002; OR= 1.760), underweight (p=0.021; OR= 0.306), anxiety
(p=0.001; OR= 0.470), bulimia (p=0.000 ; OR= 0.794) and body dissatisfaction
(p=0.000 ; OR= 0.920).
This rise goes along with other
surveys in different parts of the world. These results can be explained by
multiple reasons such as the ‘’food insecurity” mechanism, the excessive
feeling of boredom and loneliness resulting from social distancing and the
overwhelming overthinking about the onset of a serious economic crisis.
As this pandemic doesn’t seem to
have any end any sooner, larger studies are required to explain this
international issue in order to come up with efficient solutions.
Biography
She had her Medical Doctor
degree at the age of 25 and then she has completed her master degree in
Nutrition and Cancer therapy from Rennes University, France. She has worked
long in Oncology department and her three scientific works are still under
review.