Lifestyle and mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil

COVID-19 is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly among hospitalized patients with pre-existing health conditions. Evidence accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that lifestyle-related factors can play a role in disease prognosis. However, population-specific data are essential to better understand how these factors relate to in-hospital outcomes in different settings. This study aimed to evaluate the association between lifestyle factors and in-hospital mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. This observational cohort study analyzed secondary data from 290 patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in Pernambuco. Sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle information, including alcohol consumption, smoking status, and physical activity level, were collected. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 45.6%. Among patients who died, 37.8% reported alcohol consumption, 68.2% were smokers, and 31.5% were physically inactive. Smoking was significantly associated with mortality (p = 0.004), whereas alcohol consumption and physical inactivity were not. In conclusion, smoking was associated with worse clinical outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in this cohort. These findings add to the existing evidence on lifestyle-related risk factors and may inform public health strategies aimed at reducing mortality during severe infectious disease outbreaks.