PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sindi, Sulafa T.
AU  - Nazer, Njood W.
AU  - AlAgha, Abdulmoein E.
TI  - Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on therapy compliance and lifestyle factors of patients with growth hormone deficiency
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2022.43.4.20210877
DP  - 2022 Apr 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 418--422
VI  - 43
IP  - 4
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/43/4/418.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/43/4/418.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2022 Apr 01; 43
AB  - Objectives: To recognize and assess treatment compliance in children and adolescents with growth hormone deficiency during the cronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic along with other lifestyle factors that might have been affected by the pandemic, such as diet, physical activity, sleep pattern, and screen time.Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out between March 2020-2021 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through clinical interview questions.Results: The total sample size was 130 patients, 54 (41.5%) of whom were males and 76 (58.5%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 12.56±3.44 years. Comparisons of before and during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant changes in growth hormone therapy compliance (p=0.007), dietary changes (p=0.002) with an increase in vegetables and fruit consumption, a significant decrease in physical activity time (p<0.001), an increase in sleep time (p<0.001), and screen time (p<0.001).Conclusion: The COVID-19 crisis had an impact on growth hormone therapy compliance, with a significant impact on other lifestyle factors such as dietary habits, physical activity, sleep time, and leisure screen time.