Lifestyle Changes and COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

Omid Toupchian; Sepideh  Soltani; Elham  Hosseini-Marnani; Fatemeh  Eslami; Salar  Poorbarat; Cain C.  T. Clark; Javad  Heshmati; Rezvan  Rajabzadeh; Shima  Abdollahi

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v8i4.14011

Omid Toupchian Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health¬, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran;
Sepideh Soltani Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Non-communicable Diseases Research Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Elham Hosseini-Marnani The University of Adelaide, Adelaide Medical School- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Adelaide, Australia.;
Fatemeh Eslami Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health¬, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
Salar Poorbarat Student Research Committee, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
Cain C. T. Clark Centre for Intelligent Healthcare, Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 5FB, U.K;
Javad Heshmati Songhor Healthcare Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Rezvan Rajabzadeh Medical School, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
Shima Abdollahi Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health¬, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v8i4.14011

Keywords: Diet; COVID-19; Physical activity; Sleep habit; Cross-sectional studies

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has evidently influenced people's lifestyle, particularly their health. In this study, the authors examined the association between dietary intake and lifestyle changes, and COVID-19 infection in adults living in Bojnurd, Iran.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted on 4425 adults from Bojnurd city, Iran, regarding changes in food consumption, physical activity, sleep duration, and the history of COVID-19 infection; data were collected online using a researcher-designed questionnaire. The associations between lifestyle changes and COVID-19 infection were assessed by multivariate- adjusted logistic regression models.

Results: There were significant associations between lower odds of COVID-19, increased legumes consumption (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.61, 0.96), and increased physical activity (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.95) during the pandemic; this was while increased intakes of refined grain (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.63), butter oil (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.73), processed meat (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.82), fast foods (OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.13, 2.40), honey (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.64), and coffee (OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.24, 2.09) were associated with higher odds of infection. Moreover, higher sleep duration (OR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.52), increased intake of multivitamins/minerals (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.35, 2.05), vitamin D (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.47), and vitamin C (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.26, 1.84) were significantly associated with higher odds of infection, compared to the cases with no change.

Conclusion: Increased intake of refined grain and high-fat foods may be associated with lower odds of infection. However, the cross-sectional design of the present study precludes causal inferences.