Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult Population
The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a plant-based diet associated with a reduction in the risk of developing COVID-19 comorbidities. Lockdown instigation during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected eating habits and lifestyles, highlighting the need to analyze the healthiness of new consumption patterns. W...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4151 |
| _version_ | 1797477506060648448 |
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| author | Saoussen Turki Khaoula Bouzekri Tarek Trabelsi Jalila El Ati |
| author_facet | Saoussen Turki Khaoula Bouzekri Tarek Trabelsi Jalila El Ati |
| author_sort | Saoussen Turki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a plant-based diet associated with a reduction in the risk of developing COVID-19 comorbidities. Lockdown instigation during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected eating habits and lifestyles, highlighting the need to analyze the healthiness of new consumption patterns. We conducted a survey to assess lifestyle change in Tunisian adults and their MD adherence. A total of 1082 respondents completed a self-administered online survey designed to assess their food and lifestyle habits. Poor overall adherence to MD was observed (mean MEDAS score 6.6, SD 1.07) in a preponderance of the mid-MD adherent subgroup (71.2% of the participants). Location, age, profession, and household welfare proxy were the main determinants of high MD adherence. When adjusting for sociodemographic variables, location and income remained statistically significant. Positive health outcomes were noticed in respondents with high MEDAS scores. Most importantly, binary logistic regression showed that risk of COVID-19 infection decreased as MEDAS score increased for unvaccinated obese participants (OR = 0.63; confidence interval (CI) 0.4–0.98; <i>p</i> = 0.045). Regarding lifestyle changes, confinement had contributed to an overall reduction in cigarette consumption, sleeping hours, and physical activity. Long-term consequences of these changes on health outcomes must be further explored. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:18:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2cf707d9900d4ee9ad963d931de4de6a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:18:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-2cf707d9900d4ee9ad963d931de4de6a2023-11-23T21:26:28ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-10-011419415110.3390/nu14194151Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult PopulationSaoussen Turki0Khaoula Bouzekri1Tarek Trabelsi2Jalila El Ati3SURVEN (Nutrition Surveillance and Epidemiology in Tunisia) Research Laboratory, 11 Rue Jebel Lakhdar, Bab Saadoun, Tunis 1007, TunisiaSURVEN (Nutrition Surveillance and Epidemiology in Tunisia) Research Laboratory, 11 Rue Jebel Lakhdar, Bab Saadoun, Tunis 1007, TunisiaINNTA (National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology), 11 Rue Jebel Lakhdar, Bab Saadoun, Tunis 1007, TunisiaSURVEN (Nutrition Surveillance and Epidemiology in Tunisia) Research Laboratory, 11 Rue Jebel Lakhdar, Bab Saadoun, Tunis 1007, TunisiaThe Mediterranean diet (MD) is a plant-based diet associated with a reduction in the risk of developing COVID-19 comorbidities. Lockdown instigation during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected eating habits and lifestyles, highlighting the need to analyze the healthiness of new consumption patterns. We conducted a survey to assess lifestyle change in Tunisian adults and their MD adherence. A total of 1082 respondents completed a self-administered online survey designed to assess their food and lifestyle habits. Poor overall adherence to MD was observed (mean MEDAS score 6.6, SD 1.07) in a preponderance of the mid-MD adherent subgroup (71.2% of the participants). Location, age, profession, and household welfare proxy were the main determinants of high MD adherence. When adjusting for sociodemographic variables, location and income remained statistically significant. Positive health outcomes were noticed in respondents with high MEDAS scores. Most importantly, binary logistic regression showed that risk of COVID-19 infection decreased as MEDAS score increased for unvaccinated obese participants (OR = 0.63; confidence interval (CI) 0.4–0.98; <i>p</i> = 0.045). Regarding lifestyle changes, confinement had contributed to an overall reduction in cigarette consumption, sleeping hours, and physical activity. Long-term consequences of these changes on health outcomes must be further explored.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4151COVID-19lockdownMD adherencelifestyle changeTunisian adults |
| spellingShingle | Saoussen Turki Khaoula Bouzekri Tarek Trabelsi Jalila El Ati Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult Population Nutrients COVID-19 lockdown MD adherence lifestyle change Tunisian adults |
| title | Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult Population |
| title_full | Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult Population |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult Population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult Population |
| title_short | Assessment of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Lifestyle Change during COVID-19 National Lockdown in Tunisian Adult Population |
| title_sort | assessment of mediterranean diet adherence and lifestyle change during covid 19 national lockdown in tunisian adult population |
| topic | COVID-19 lockdown MD adherence lifestyle change Tunisian adults |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4151 |
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