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

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.

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.

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.

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.