Relationship between coronaphobia, cognitive functions, sleep quality, and diet quality in older adults during COVID-19

Objective: The relationship between the quality of diet and sleep, cognitive function, and fear related to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)
among older adults in Turkey during the pandemic remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between diet quality, cognitive
function, sleep quality, and levels of coronaphobia in individuals aged 65 and above, to understand the impact of COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: Sleep quality, diet quality, coronaphobia, and cognitive status of 72 older individuals were evaluated using the Pittsburgh
sleep quality index, healthy eating index 2010, Montreal cognitive assessment scale, and coronavirus-19 phobia scale, respectively.
Results: The participants had poor diet quality (54.2%), poor sleep quality (62.5%), obesity (41.7%), higher levels of coronaphobia, and cognitive
impairment. There was a moderate negative relationship between sleep quality and coronaphobia and between cognitive status and coronaphobia
(p≤0.00); and a weak positive relationship between diet quality and cognitive status (p<0.05). However, no relationship was found between sleep
quality and diet quality, and between coronaphobia and diet quality (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Our study highlights the significant challenges faced by older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, including poor nutrition quality,
sleep disturbances, coronaphobia, and cognitive impairment. Our findings suggest a potential interplay between nutrition quality, sleep patterns,
and cognitive function among older adults, with those experiencing coronaphobia exhibiting additional cognitive and sleep-related concerns.
We advocate the implementation of targeted interventions aimed at mitigating cognitive impairment, addressing nutritional deficiencies, and
improving sleep quality among older adults, irrespective of COVID-19 infection status, to enhance overall well-being during these challenging times.