The Impact of WFH on Eating Habits

Abstract

Background: In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, working environments globally adopted work-from-home practices, including in the higher education sector in Saudi Arabia. The shift changed the dietary habits, affecting everyone's life, including faculty staff.

Purpose: To study the association between working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and eating habits among PNU faculty members in Saudi Arabia.

Methods:  A cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing a validated survey to the faculty members at Princess Nourah University in Saudi Arabia. Chi-square test, McNemar test, and paired sample t-test were performed to compare the quality and quantity of consumed food and the associations between eating habits and working from the office or from home. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 303 faculty members completed the questionnaire. Key results showed that 32% and 18% reported significantly healthier eating habits (P<0.001), 47% and 28% ate home-cooked meals (p<0.001), and there was no difference in the quality of food scores (12.85+2.66 and 12.77+2.65) for working from home and the office respectively.

Conclusion: A shift in dietary habits among university faculty members in Saudi Arabia was noted due to the changes in working patterns from an office-based system to working from home and back. These changes were mostly positive for those working from home.