Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Frontiers in Public Health
Publication Date
4-4-2022
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated infection prevention and control measures had a negative impact on the mental health of many people. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), infection control measures implemented after March 24th, 2020, placed necessary restrictions on people's freedom of movement. This study aimed to assess the association between levels of daytime vs. nighttime outdoor activity and mental health among a sample of UAE residents during the lockdown period. An opportunity sample of 245 participants completed an online survey assessing levels of depression, somatic symptoms, daytime and nighttime activity levels. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that daytime activity, but not nighttime activity, was associated with a lower risk of clinically significant depressive and somatic symptomatology. The association of better mental health with daytime not nighttime outdoor activity could be possibly attributed to vitamin D, but further studies are needed to confirm this speculation.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Volume
10
First Page
829362
Last Page
829362
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Keywords
COVID-19, depressive symptoms, somatization, vitamin D, United Arab Emirates
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Al Anouti, Fatme; Thomas, Justin; Karras, Spyridon; and Asswad, Nour El, "Outdoor Activity in the Daytime, but Not the Nighttime, Predicts Better Mental Health Status During the COVID-19 Curfew in the United Arab Emirates" (2022). All Works. 4992.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/4992
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series