Dietary behaviour and mental wellness in post covid patients with non-communicable disease in Selangor

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a class of illnesses that do not primarily result from acute infections, frequently necessitate long-term care, and impact long-term health. Given the rising prevalence of NCD among post-COVID patients and mental illness in this country, hence, this research objective is to determine the mental wellness and dietary behaviour in post-COVID patients with non-communicable diseases, especially in those who have type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia in Selangor. Using a cross-sectional study design, data were collected from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 at Hospital Al-Sultan Abdullah in UiTM Puncak Alam and Clinical Training Centre (CTC), UiTM Sungai Buloh. Purposive sampling was used, and a sample size of 135 participants was established to include people with specific NCDs. The questionnaire included sections on sociodemographic data, anthropometric and biochemical compliance, an eating behaviour pattern questionnaire (EBPQ), and a mental health assessment with depression, anxiety, and stress scales (DASS-21). The prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hyperlipidemia was reported to be 13.3% and 38.5% after COVID-19. Furthermore, the results showed that the pandemic significantly affected these participants' dietary behaviour and mental health. Meal skipping was found to be significantly association with anxiety (B + SE: -, OR: 0.02, p=0.007, 95% CI: -6.74 - -1.05). In summary, early intervention to reduce the risk of developing anxiety in post-COVID patients can be taken into consideration by offering dietary counselling to promote healthy dietary behaviour, which can positively impact mental health.