POST-COVID-19 RECOVERY AND FOOD PREFERENCES: A CCOMPARATIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF VACCINATED AND NON-VACCINATED IRAQI ADULTS

The COVID-19 epidemic has drastically changed worldwide food trends. Emerging research indicates that COVID-19 infection and immunization may change food choices, particularly via taste variations, with major consequences for nutrition and food security. This research aims to assess the effect of COVID-19 infection and immunization on self-reported changes in eating habits and taste-related characteristics across Iraqi individuals. Out of 400 participants in a cross-sectional survey, 100 (50 vaccinated and 50 uninfected) completed the study. The study gathered self-reported data on individual variations in food preferences, whether they were increased, decreased, or remained the same, as well as reasons for these changes, such as psychological and taste-related factors. Variations in food preferences across groups were compared using statistical techniques, namely chi-squared tests. After controlling demographics and health characteristics, the association between vaccination status and taste-related changes has been examined using a logistic regression strategy. The majority of the participants were women (78%) below the age of 30 (84%), with 78% getting a history of COVID-19 infection. Taste-related factors were reported as the key driver for changes in eating habits in 29% of instances. Vaccinated participants were significantly more inclined to ascribe dietary changes to taste variations than were uninfected persons (50% vs. 12.9%, χ² = 14.72, p = 0.005). COVID-19 vaccination is substantially linked with taste-related changes in eating behaviours. These findings highlight the requirement of personalized food assistance during recovery after a pandemic and underline the need for more inquiry into the long-term health impacts of these dietary modifications.