Comparison of diet, sleep, and stress during the emergency coronavirus disease curfew in men and women with hemodialysis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on diet, stress, and sleep in Japanese patients with hemodialysis. METHODS: Data on nutritional intake, frequency of food intake by cuisine, dietary behavior, and frequency of food use before and during the declaration of the state of emergency due to COVID-19, were collected. RESULTS: For the 81 participants (47 men), changes were observed in the following diet-related items: nutrition and nutrient content (one item for men, three for women), eating behavior, and frequency of food use (one item for men, six for women), and the total number of items was two for men and nine for women. Nine out of 12 questions addressed stress and six out of eight questions addressed sleep, with a higher percentage of women adversely affected, and no item with a higher percentage of men adversely affected. The mean score for stress was 25.3±5.1 for men and 29.5±5.0 for women, p <0.001, and for sleep disturbance was 11.6±3.0 for men and 14.4±4.4 for women, p <0.001. CONCLUSION: In patients with hemodialysis, the effect of refraining from going out due to the spread of COVID-19 on diet, sleep, and stress was suggested to be more significant in women than in men.