ASSOCIATION BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND IMMUNONUTRITION INTAKE WITH IMMUNITY STATUS POST-PANDEMIC COVID-19 IN COLLEGE STUDENTS
Dian Isti Angraini1*, Anisa Maulidia2, Sutarto1

1Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Universitas Lampung, Indonesia
2Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Lampung, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic is still being felt in various aspects of life. To heal and prevent COVID-19 infection is determined by the immunity status of each individual, immunity was affected by the immunonutrition intake. Good nutritional knowledge is expected to affect good patterns of immunonutrition consumption.
Purpose: This study^s purpose is to determine the association between nutritional knowledge and immunonutrition intake with immunity status post-pandemic COVID-19 in college students.
Methods: This study is an observational analytic using a cross-sectional design. The research started from December 2022 to January 2023. The sample for this study was 104 first-year medical students of Lampung University and was taken using a simple random sampling technique that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data were obtained by filling out questionnaires and were analyzed using the Chi-square test.
Results: The result of this study indicate that 51,9% of respondents have decreased immune status. The bivariate test showed that intake of protein (p=<0,001), zinc (0,006), iron (p=<0,001), vitamin A (p=<0,001), and vitamin C (p=0,002) had a relationship with immunity status. Meanwhile, nutritional knowledge (p=0,708) had no relationship to immune status.
Conclusion: Immunonutrition intake is a factor that directly influences immunity status, while nutritional knowledge is an indirect factor.

Keywords: immunonutrition, immunity status, nutritional knowledge, the COVID-19 pandemic

Topic: Nutrition and functional food