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:10.20944/preprints202311.0330.v1
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibits a significant variation in presentation of symptoms ranging from mild to severe life-threatening symptoms, including death. COVID-19 infection susceptibility has been linked with various covariates, but studies in Qatar are limited. Data from Qatar Biobank (QBB) (n = 10,000; 18-to 79-year-old adults) were analyzed for associations between sociodemographic and lifestyle factors and susceptibility to COVID-19. Logistic regression was used to assess the associations between COVID-19 and age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, education level, dietary patterns, supplement use, physical activity, history of bariatric surgery, diabetes, and hypertension. 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 of the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 (OR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.69-0.97). Obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ), history of bariatric surgery and higher adherence to the modern dietary pattern-characterized by 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.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, A.A.S. and Z.S.; investigation, A.A.S., Z.S., Z.A., J.S.; resources, A.A.S., Z.S.; writing-original draft preparation, A.A.S., Z.S., Z.A., ; writing-review and editing, All Authors; Supervision, A.A.S., Z.S., A.A.A.T; project administration, A.A.S.; funding acquisition, A.A.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. 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.
Institutional Review Board
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