Chronic Disease Burden - Nutrition and Lifestyle affecting Lives and Livelihoods in the Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The covid-19 pandemic had widened the health gap, further exposing the challenges that workers face. These individuals are often marginalised by job role, geographical location changes due to migration or societal stigma in terms of ethnic origin, gender and disability. This paper further explores the challenges that vulnerable workers face in terms of nutrition and lifestyle factors (as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) that play an important role in dis-ease. Materials and Methods: A case series of workers globally affected by the above factors were researched and nutritionally relevant health factors analysed. This series covers all continents and was able to cover the burden of poor nutritional status as a contributing factor to covid 19 related mortality and morbidity. In particular, the effects nutrition being of relevance in the management of Long Covid was also flagged. Results: Poor nutritional status, in particular micronutrient deficiency and the double edged effects of both under and over nutrition have had direct and indirect effects on the susceptibility and recovery from covid-19. The findings further support that prevention and disease management is noted to be a key variable in the vulnerable worker population. Conclusions: The implementation of key nutritional parameters as part of the health and economic ecosystem is a significant factor in the saving of Lives and Livelihoods !