Impact of Attending the on Kuwaiti Men’s Health

• Main Author: Maha Al-Sejari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2018-03-01
• Series: American Journal of Men's Health
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988317734666

Diwaniyyah is a traditional gathering place for men in the Arab world. Most Kuwaiti men spend most of their time in the diwaniyyah , which is an important part of their social activity. The current study aims to examine the relationship between the diwaniyyah as a social community and the attendees’ health conditions to determine how the diwaniyyah affects Kuwaiti men’s lifestyle. A questionnaire was distributed among 500 men 16 years old and above. It comprised five parts of data: sociodemographic information, frequency of attending diwaniyyah , types of diwaniyyah s, and health lifestyle of members attending the diwaniyyah . A t -test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression were used to test the study’s questions. A significant difference in negative effect of diwaniyyah s on attendees’ physical health was detected according to the participants’ ethnic roots, affection for and length of time they spent in the diwaniyyah , time of day or evening that they visited, and dealing with chronic disease ( p < .05). Also the results reveal significant differences in the positive effect of diwaniyyah s on the attendees’ lifestyle behavior according to their age, occupational status, religious affiliation, government, prayer time, and type of diwaniyyah ( p < .05).