Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Department of Oncology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2022 Apr;48:329-335. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.01.024. Epub 2022 Jan 31.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: COVID-19 containment measures significantly impacted lifestyle of the general population, including physical activity. Although the older adults are particularly susceptible to the potential consequences of sedentary lifestyle and inactivity, few studies investigated pandemic effects in this segment of the population. We aimed to evaluate COVID-19 pandemic effects on weight gain and physical activity in the Italian older adults, and assess the impact of possible changes in physical activity on mental health wellbeing.
In November 2020, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on a representative sample of 4400 older adults (aged 65 or more) from the Lombardy region, Northern Italy. Changes in body mass index (BMI) and physical activity were assessed, compared to the previous year. Using unconditional multiple logistic models, we estimated the odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of a decrease in physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic and we evaluated if decreased physical activity was a determinant of a worsening in psychological wellbeing.
Neither weight gain nor increase in obesity prevalence occurred during the pandemic. Mean time spent in physical activity significantly decreased, with 43.8% of participants reporting a decrease of 1 h/week or more during COVID-19 pandemic. A decreased physical activity was determinant of a worsening of selected mental health outcomes, such as: sleep quality (OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.91-3.15) and quantity (OR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.18-2.02), anxiety (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.14-1.52) and depressive symptoms (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.38-1.88).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, while no major changes in BMI were observed, physical activity significantly declined in the older adults. In this population, the lack of physical activity might have contributed to the observed worsening in mental health. During emergency periods, encouraging physical activity might be effective also to preserve psychological wellbeing.
新冠疫情防控措施极大地影响了民众的生活方式，包括体育锻炼。尽管老年人更容易受到久坐不动和缺乏运动带来的潜在影响，但很少有研究调查疫情对这一人群的影响。我们旨在评估新冠疫情对意大利老年人体重增加和体育活动的影响，并评估体育活动可能发生的变化对心理健康的影响。
2020 年 11 月，对意大利北部伦巴第地区的 4400 名 65 岁及以上的老年人进行了横断面调查。与前一年相比，评估了体重指数（BMI）和体育活动的变化。使用无条件多项逻辑回归模型，我们估计了在新冠疫情期间体育活动减少的比值比（OR）和相应的 95%置信区间（CI），并评估了体育活动减少是否是心理健康恶化的决定因素。
在疫情期间，体重增加或肥胖患病率增加均未发生。体育活动时间明显减少，43.8%的参与者报告在新冠疫情期间每周减少 1 小时或更多。体育活动减少是睡眠质量（OR=2.45；95%CI：1.91-3.15）和数量（OR=1.54；95%CI：1.18-2.02）、焦虑（OR=1.31；95%CI：1.14-1.52）和抑郁症状（OR=1.61；95%CI：1.38-1.88）恶化的决定因素。
在新冠疫情期间，虽然 BMI 没有明显变化，但老年人的体育活动明显减少。在这一人群中，缺乏体育活动可能导致心理健康恶化。在紧急时期，鼓励体育活动可能对保护心理健康也有效。
