Ju Jie, Qi Wen-Bo, Zhang Jia, Cao Zhi-Jun, Tsai Chi-Lun, Liu Peng
School of Physical Education and Training, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Department of Psychiatry, Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao, China.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Feb 11;13:805664. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.805664. eCollection 2022.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has undoubtedly influenced the normal lifestyle of people worldwide, including the Chinese population. This study attempted to do supplementary research to the current situation of loneliness as well as the related risk factors among the elderly in the province in central Chinese during the COVID-19.
We conducted a cross-sectional study in one of the central Chinese provinces (Henan Province) from December 2020 to March 2021 using a multistage sampling method, and 568 elderly people without cognitive impairment were interviewed. The UCLA Loneliness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), and Quality of Life Questionnaire SF-36 were adopted to collect information. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to analyze the factors resulting in severe loneliness among the elderly with seldom or regular participation in physical exercises.
During the epidemic in central China, the elderly suffering from loneliness syndrome accounted for 34.2%, of which 15.5% were severely lonely. Risk factors for severe loneliness were quality of life (OR: 7.129), sleep quality (OR: 3.778), seldom exercise (OR: 4.170), poor economic status (OR: 1.769), and negative attitude toward the prospects for the epidemic control (OR: 4.033). By grouping the participants in terms of physical activity, we found that the quality of life (OR:5.778) was a significant risk factor than sleep quality (OR:2.939) in the seldom exercise group, while the only risk factor in the regular exercise group was the quality of life (OR: 5.021).
There was an increase in the degree of loneliness among the elderly during the epidemic, and physical activity played an active role in relieving the severe loneliness of the elderly. Therefore, for the sake of the elderly, regular participation in physical exercises should be encouraged during the duration of the epidemic.
新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情无疑影响了全球人们的正常生活方式，包括中国人群。本研究试图对中国中部省份老年人在COVID-19疫情期间的孤独现状及相关危险因素进行补充研究。
2020年12月至2021年3月，我们在中国中部某省（河南省）采用多阶段抽样方法进行了一项横断面研究，对568名无认知障碍的老年人进行了访谈。采用加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表、匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）、体力活动评定量表（PARS-3）和生活质量问卷SF-36收集信息。我们采用单因素和多因素logistic回归分析很少或经常参加体育锻炼的老年人中导致严重孤独的因素。
在华中地区疫情期间，患有孤独综合征的老年人占34.2%，其中重度孤独者占15.5%。导致严重孤独的危险因素有生活质量（OR：7.129）、睡眠质量（OR：3.778）、很少锻炼（OR：4.170）、经济状况差（OR：1.769）以及对疫情防控前景持消极态度（OR：4.033）。通过对参与者按体育活动进行分组，我们发现，在很少锻炼组中，生活质量（OR：5.778）比睡眠质量（OR：2.939）是更显著的危险因素，而在经常锻炼组中，唯一的危险因素是生活质量（OR：5.021）。
疫情期间老年人孤独程度有所增加，体育活动对缓解老年人的严重孤独起到了积极作用。因此，为了老年人的健康，在疫情期间应鼓励他们经常参加体育锻炼。
