Association of major dietary patterns with socioeconomic status, obesity, and contracting COVID-19 among Iranian adults

Maryam Maharat; Mehran Rahimlou; Ali Sioofi; Seyedeh Forough Sajjadi; Seyedeh Parisa Moosavian

doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1301634

Association of major dietary patterns with socioeconomic status, obesity, and contracting COVID-19 among Iranian adults

Front Nutr. 2024 Jan 29:11:1301634. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1301634. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Maryam Maharat¹, Mehran Rahimlou², Ali Sioofi³, Seyedeh Forough Sajjadi¹, Seyedeh Parisa Moosavian¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Nutrition, Vice-Chancellery for Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
² Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
³ Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic clearly affected the lifestyle and dietary habits of millions of people worldwide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of major dietary patterns with socioeconomic status, obesity, and contracting COVID-19.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey for data collection with a total of 1,187 participants (over the age of 18 years) who reported their sociodemographic details, anthropometric index (weight and height), and dietary intake. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to assess the association between major dietary patterns and study outcomes.

Results: A total of 1,106 adults were included in the current analysis. We identified three major dietary patterns (plant-based, meat, and Western dietary patterns). The mean age of participants was significantly higher in the upper tertile of plant-based dietary patterns (DPs) compared to the first tertile, while it was lower in the top tertile of meat and Western DPs. The percentage of participants who lived in urban areas was significantly higher in the third tertile of meat DP than in the first tertile (p < 0.001). Moderate adherence to Western DP was significantly associated with increased odds of obesity (OR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.74). In addition, high adherence to Western DP was significantly related to increased odds of obesity after controlling for confounders. Subjects in the second tertile of the Western DP had higher odds (95% Cl: 1.04, 1.92) for COVID-19 infection than the first tertile.

Conclusion: This study showed that moderate and high adherence to a Western dietary pattern was associated with a higher risk of obesity and COVID-19 infection during the pandemic. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Keywords: COVID-19; adults; dietary pattern; socioeconomic status; weight.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The present study was approved and financially supported by a grant from Vice-Chancellor for Research, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran (Ethics code: IR.SUMS.REC.1401.344; grant number: 23989).