Evaluation of diet quality, anxiety status and physical activity levels of individuals with fibromyalgia

This study was conducted to evaluate diet quality, anxiety and physical activity status of individuals diagnosed with FMS. The study was conducted with 110 individuals aged 18-64 years who applied to Konya Beyhekim Training and Research Hospital Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Internal Medicine Polyclinics between January and May 2023. The individuals were divided into two groups as 55 individuals diagnosed with FMS (PG) and 55 controls (CG). A questionnaire form was applied by the researcher to determine the general characteristics of the individuals, information about their health status and dietary habits. In order to evaluate daily energy and nutrient intakes 2 days, 24 hour dietary recall were taken. Anxiety status of the individuals was assessed using Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), physical activity status was assessed using International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and diet quality was assessed using Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI2015). Anthropometric measurements were taken by the researcher. The mean age of the individuals in PG was 48.98±9.72 years and 44.43±10.34 years in CG. The mean energy intake of the individuals in PG was 1101.12±247.78 kcal/day and 961.49±189.09 kcal/day in CG (p<0.05). The mean HEI-2015 score was 53.06±9.86 in PG and 59.05±10.93 in CG (p<0.05). The mean IPAQ-SF score was found to be 12.78±11.01 for individuals in PG and 2.94±3.97 for individuals in the CG (p<0.05). IPAQ-SF scores were found to be 2013.17±1907.27 in individuals in PG and 2927.12±2432.16 in individuals in CG (p<0.05). No significant correlation was found between the mean scores of HEI-2015 and the scores of BAI and IPAQ (p>0.05). It was shown that there was a significant negative correlation between body weight and HEI-2015 score in individuals with PG (r=-0.331; p=0.014). HEI-2015 scores were found to be an important parameter affecting the risk of disease (p<0.05). It was found that 1 unit increase in HEI-2015 scores decreased the risk of disease by 3.7% (OR=0.963; p=0.049). Disease status was shown to be affected by diet quality. Nutrition and lifestyle change is an effective method in alleviating FMS symptoms. Adequate and balanced nutrition should be provided and diet quality should be improved.