Hábitos de vida em pacientes diabéticos e/ou hipertensos durante a pandemia da COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic represented a global challenge to public health. The restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) affected individuals' routines, bringing significant impacts to the quality of life and health conditions of the general population. Particularly among individuals with Non- Communicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs), such as hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM), the pandemic posed challenges for the control of risk factors and clinical management of these diseases, which may have negatively impacted the health conditions of their carriers. This study aimed to evaluate the dietary habits and quality of life of diabetic and/or hypertensive patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the administration of an online questionnaire sent to participants via email or social media from March 2022 to April 2023. The survey investigated sociodemographic factors, dietary habits, physical activity, sleep hours, stress levels, among other variables. The sample included 283 participants, with 48.8% having HTN, 26.1% diabetics, and 25.1% diabetics and hypertensives, mostly female (55.8%), with an average age of 46.4 ± 12.5 years. During the pandemic, there was an increase in participants reporting fasting blood glucose > 126 mg/dL (from 37.7% to 54.1%; p= 0.013) and blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg (from 29.7% to 40.8%; p = 0.022). There was an increase in the number of individuals reporting consuming 5 or more meals per day (from 19.4% to 36.0%; p < 0.001), not engaging in physical activity (from 33.6% to 42.1%; p = 0.007), and consuming alcoholic beverages 5 times a week (from 5.0% to 9.6% of respondents; p = 0.027). There was a significant increase in the number of individuals with high and very high stress levels (from 15.2% to 39.6% and from 6.0% to 26.5%, respectively; p < 0.001), those sleeping less than 5 hours per day (from 12.0% to 20.9%, p < 0.001), and those sleeping 8 hours or more (from 29.0% to 39.6%, p < 0.001). The study's data reveal a worsening of health conditions and lifestyle habits, exacerbating risk factors that hinder the effective control of DM and HTN. Thus, they reinforce the negative impact of the pandemic on the health of the evaluated patients in the study. Beyond the pandemic period, the follow- up of these individuals deserves attention regarding the implementation of strategies addressing nutrition, encouragement of physical activity, stress management, and adequate sleep to mitigate the identified adverse impacts.