MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2022 Oct 14;17(10):e0275486. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275486. eCollection 2022.
Older adults have been especially vulnerable to adverse effects from the COVID-19 pandemic including higher mortality and more severe disease complications. At the same time, social isolation, malnutrition and physical inactivity are serious concerns among older adults. The pandemic and associated restrictions may serve to exacerbate these issues, presenting increased risks to physical and mental health. The aims of this qualitative study were: i) to explore how community-living older people in the UK experienced the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically how it impacted their well-being and associated health behaviours; ii) to explore how older people's experiences and behaviours changed over time throughout the first wave.
Qualitative data were collected by conducting serial telephone interviews, with an interval of approximately three months. Participants were from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, all aged over 80 years. Discussions were audio-recorded, information related to the COVID-19 pandemic was transcribed verbatim and transcripts analysed thematically. Interviews were conducted from March to October 2020.
Data for twelve participants (7 men and 5 women) from a total of 35 interviews were used, comprising two or three timepoints per participant. Analysis identified five overarching themes: 1) shopping strategies and food accessibility, 2) limitations on activities and going out, 3) disruption to healthcare, 4) social and psychological repercussions, and 5) coping strategies. Findings highlight challenges associated with accessing shops, healthcare, and usual activities due to pandemic-related restrictions. Longitudinal findings showed that for some, the ongoing pandemic and related restrictions appeared to aggravate mental health issues (low mood, anxiety) over time, as well as greater feelings of isolation or loneliness, reduced activity and functional limitations; this was despite some relaxation of restrictions later on. Coping strategies used by participants included finding ways to keep busy and to do physical activity safely, maintaining social contact remotely, and having an optimistic or positive outlook, a 'do what you can' attitude.
Interventions are likely to be needed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to support health behaviours, such as increasing physical activity, social engagement and improving mental health among community-living older adults.
老年人尤其容易受到 COVID-19 大流行的不利影响，包括死亡率更高和更严重的疾病并发症。与此同时，老年人也存在严重的社交隔离、营养不良和身体活动不足等问题。大流行及相关限制措施可能会加剧这些问题，给身心健康带来更大的风险。本定性研究的目的是：i）探讨英国社区居住的老年人在 COVID-19 大流行第一波期间的体验，特别是它如何影响他们的幸福感和相关健康行为；ii）探讨老年人的经验和行为在第一波期间是如何随时间变化的。
通过定期电话访谈收集定性数据，间隔约三个月。参与者来自赫特福德郡队列研究，年龄均在 80 岁以上。讨论内容进行了录音，与 COVID-19 大流行相关的信息逐字转录，并进行主题分析。访谈于 2020 年 3 月至 10 月进行。
使用了来自 35 次访谈的 12 名参与者（7 名男性和 5 名女性）的数据，每个参与者有两个或三个时间点。分析确定了五个总体主题：1）购物策略和食物可及性，2）活动和外出受限，3）医疗保健中断，4）社会和心理影响，5）应对策略。研究结果突出了由于大流行相关限制而导致的购物、医疗保健和日常活动的困难。纵向研究结果表明，对于一些人来说，持续的大流行和相关限制随着时间的推移似乎加剧了心理健康问题（情绪低落、焦虑），以及更多的孤立或孤独感、活动减少和功能受限；尽管后来限制有所放松。参与者使用的应对策略包括寻找保持忙碌和安全进行身体活动的方法、远程保持社交联系，以及保持乐观或积极的态度，采取“尽你所能”的态度。
COVID-19 大流行后可能需要干预措施，以支持健康行为，如增加社区居住的老年人的身体活动、社交参与和改善心理健康。
