The Association between Lifestyle Factors and COVID-19: Findings from Qatar Biobank

Zoha Akbar; Hasna H Kunhipurayil; Jessica Saliba; Jamil Ahmad; Layla Al-Mansoori; Hebah A Al-Khatib; Asmaa A Al Thani; Zumin Shi; Abdullah A Shaito

doi:10.3390/nu16071037

The Association between Lifestyle Factors and COVID-19: Findings from Qatar Biobank

Nutrients. 2024 Apr 3;16(7):1037. doi: 10.3390/nu16071037.

Authors

Zoha Akbar¹, Hasna H Kunhipurayil², Jessica Saliba^{3

4}, Jamil Ahmad⁵, Layla Al-Mansoori^{2

6}, Hebah A Al-Khatib², Asmaa A Al Thani^{2

6}, Zumin Shi¹, Abdullah A Shaito^{2

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar.
² Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar.
³ Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Balamand, Beirut P.O. Box 100, Lebanon.
⁴ Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Beirut P.O. Box 90656, Lebanon.
⁵ Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar.
⁶ Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar.
⁷ Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar.

Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifestations range from mild to severe life-threatening symptoms, including death. COVID-19 susceptibility has been associated with various factors, but studies in Qatar are limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between COVID-19 susceptibility and various sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, including age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, education level, dietary patterns, supplement usage, physical activity, a history of bariatric surgery, diabetes, and hypertension. We utilized logistic regression to analyze these associations, using the data of 10,000 adult participants, aged from 18 to 79, from Qatar Biobank. In total, 10.5% (n = 1045) of the participants had COVID-19. Compared to non-smokers, current and ex-smokers had lower odds of having COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.44-0.68 and OR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.57-0.86, respectively). Vitamin D supplement use was associated with an 18% reduction in the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 (OR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.69-0.97). Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²), a history of bariatric surgery, and higher adherence to the modern dietary pattern-characterized by the consumption of foods high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates-were positively associated with COVID-19. Our findings indicate that adopting a healthy lifestyle may be helpful in the prevention of COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; bariatric surgery; dietary patterns; obesity; smoking; vitamin D.

MeSH terms

Adult
Biological Specimen Banks*
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Dietary Supplements
Humans
Life Style
Qatar / epidemiology

Grants and funding

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) grant number RRC02-0807-210,022 to A.A.S. The funding source (QNRF) had no role in study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to submit the article for publication.