The Influence of Dietary Habits and Physical Activity on Quality of Life of Peripheral Arterial Disease in Patients Hospitalized at the Department of Vascular Surgery and Transplantation, Medical University in Białystok.

Higher educational level was positively correlated with greater proportion of high-quality products in diet among PAD patients.

• Study conducted on 127 patients diagnosed with PAD hospitalized at the Department of Vascular Surgery and Transplantation, Medical University of Białystok.
• Diet quality was assessed using the FFQ-6 standardized questionnaire.
• The positive correlation between educational level and diet quality was statistically significant (p = 0.001).
• Higher education was associated with a greater proportion of high-quality products in diet.

Age was negatively correlated with physical activity level in PAD patients.

• Physical activity was assessed using the IPAQ (short version) standardized questionnaire.
• The negative correlation between age and physical activity level was statistically significant (p < 0.001).
• This finding suggests an age-related decrease in physical activity among PAD patients.
• The study included 127 PAD patients hospitalized at a vascular surgery department.

Physical activity level was associated with statistically significant differences in the SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) among PAD patients.

• Health-related quality of life was evaluated using the SF-36 standardized questionnaire.
• Statistically significant differences in SF-36 physical component summary were observed between the categories of physical activity (p = 0.047).
• Higher physical activity was associated with better physical component of quality of life.
• Physical activity remains significantly associated with the physical component of quality of life in PAD patients.

Vitamin supplement use was not associated with improved SF-36 mental component summary (MCS); patients taking vitamin supplements had worse MCS results.

• The positive influence of vitamin supplements on the SF-36 mental component summary was not found.
• Patients taking vitamin supplements had worse MCS results compared to those not taking supplements.
• This finding was contrary to an expected positive association between supplementation and mental wellbeing.
• The authors noted that intensifying supplementation is not necessarily associated with improvement of mental wellbeing.

Higher physical activity was associated with lower mental component summary (MCS), while longer time spent sitting was associated with higher MCS.

• Higher physical activity was associated with lower MCS scores on the SF-36.
• Longer time spent sitting was associated with higher MCS scores.
• These findings suggest that physical and mental components of quality of life may respond differently to activity levels in PAD patients.
• The authors concluded that only intensifying physical activity is not necessarily associated with improvement of mental wellbeing in PAD patients.