Relationship between nutritional literacy and depression status among COVID-19 survivors: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s mental health as well as their physical health. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of nutritional literacy on depression status among COVID-19 survivors.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on COVID-19 survivors in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, from March to June 2022. According to the sample size, a total of 567 participants were selected. To assess depression status, participants completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale—21 Items (DASS-21) questionnaire, with each category consisting of 7 questions. The participants' nutritional literacy status was tested using the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ), which consists of 16 questions.
RESULTS: Most of the participants were women (71.8%) and had undergraduate education (44.3%). The literacy status of most participants was in the good category (53.6%). Regarding depression status, the majority did not experience depression (72.8%), followed by mild depression (8.5%), moderate depression (11.8%), severe depression (6%), and extremely severe depression (6%). The results of the bivariate test analysis showed a significant correlation between nutritional literacy and depression status (p=0.000, r=-0.236).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Nutritional literacy has a significant impact on depression status in COVID-19 survivors. Good nutritional literacy can reduce depression status and vice versa.