Appetite loss, death anxiety and medical coping modes in COVID-19 patients: a cross-sectional study.
Qiuxuan Zeng, Huangliang Cao, Qing Ma and 3 others
PMID 34463433WHAT IT FOUND
All 76 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 had appetite loss, and higher death anxiety was linked to worse appetite.
Severe disease, married status, and lower education were also linked to poorer appetite.
Key findings
01All 76 patients scored below 28 on the appetite questionnaire, indicating appetite loss, with scores ranging from 10 to 25.
0227 of 76 patients, 35.50%, had death anxiety scores above 7, and the mean death anxiety score was 6.58.
03Appetite and death anxiety had a moderate negative correlation, r = -0.55, p < .001.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 76 patients from one province, recruited by convenience sampling, so it may not represent patients elsewhere. It was a cross-sectional survey, so it can show associations at one time point but not cause and effect. All key measures were self-reported, so responses could be inaccurate. The demographic and characteristic questionnaire was self-designed. The reported appetite mean differs between the text and Table 2, and the Discussion makes some claims that do not match the tables, such as the coping strategy linked to lower appetite.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing death anxiety or giving nutrition advice will improve appetite. This was a cross-sectional survey of 76 patients, so it shows associations, not that any intervention caused change.