Nutritional status and comorbidities among home-isolated COVID-19 patients managed through telemedicine: Implications for family medicine and primary care practice in Nepal
Pramendra Prasad Gupta, Shilpi Kumari, Sahema Shakya, Deependra Prasad Sarraf
A
BSTRACT
Background:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased pressure on healthcare systems, making telemedicine an important tool for monitoring home-isolated patients while reducing disease transmission. Nutritional status plays a key role in immunity, disease severity, and recovery, but evidence among telemedicine-managed home-isolated patients remains limited, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study assessed the nutritional status and prevalence of comorbidities among home-isolated COVID-19 patients receiving telemedicine support and examined implications for family medicine and primary care practice.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 adults aged 18–59 years with confirmed COVID-19 infection enrolled in the eHealth and Telemedicine Program. Data regarding demographic characteristics, dietary preferences, food allergies, body mass index (BMI), and comorbidities were collected through structured telemedicine consultations. Nutritional status was assessed according to the World Health Organization’s BMI criteria. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.
Results:
Among the participants, 152 (54.3%) were female. Normal BMI was observed in 118 (42.1%) participants, while 106 (37.9%) were overweight, 40 (14.3%) were obese, and 16 (5.7%) were underweight, indicating a substantial burden of nutritional imbalance. Comorbidities were reported by 94 (33.6%) participants. Obesity was more prevalent among patients with comorbidities (42.6%) than among those without chronic diseases.
Conclusion:
Nutritional imbalance was highly prevalent among home-isolated COVID-19 patients receiving telemedicine support. The high burden of overweight and obesity, particularly among individuals with chronic diseases, highlights the importance of integrating nutritional assessment, lifestyle counseling, and metabolic risk screening into routine telemedicine and primary care services.