Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and psychoaffective health of older adults in a physical exercise program.

Mikel Markotegi,Begoña Sanz,Ana Rodriguez-Larrad,Jon Irazusta

doi:10.1016/j.exger.2021.111580

Abstract

COVID-19 lockdowns restricted physical activity levels for individuals in many countries. In particular, older adults experienced limited access to their usual activities, including physical exercise programs. How such restrictions and interruptions in physical exercise programs might impact the physical and mental health of older adults has not yet been studied. We sought to analyse changes in the physical and mental health of older adults enrolled in a group-based multicomponent physical exercise (MPE) program that was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We followed 17 participants of this program from October 2018 to October 2020, including the interruption of the program during the pandemic. The MPE program included strength, balance, and stretching exercises. We compared anthropometric and cardiovascular parameters, physical fitness, frailty, quality of life, and psychoaffective status of participants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most parameters followed the same pattern, improving after 8 months of the first MPE season (Oct. 2018–Jun. 2019), worsening after 4 months of summer rest, improving from October 2019 to January 2020 in the second MPE season (Oct. 2019–Jan. 2020), and severely worsening after 7 months of program interruption. We show that an MPE program has clear benefits to the physical and psychoaffective health of older adults, and interruption of these programs could adversely impact participants. These results highlight the need to maintain physical exercise programs or facilitate engagement in physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in older adults, particularly in situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

Physical activity and its structured modality, physical exercise, are important factors in healthy aging (Sasso et al, 2015; Buchner, 2009; Morley et al, 2014; Miljkovic et al, 2015; Concha-Cisternas et al, 2017)
Physical activity supports a longer life in good health (May et al, 2015), and physical exercise reduces the effects of aging on functional fitness (Toraman et al, 2004)
The aim of this study was to analyse changes in the physical and mental health of older adults enrolled in a group-based multicomponent physical exercise (MPE) program following its interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Introduction

Physical activity and its structured modality, physical exercise, are important factors in healthy aging (Sasso et al, 2015; Buchner, 2009; Morley et al, 2014; Miljkovic et al, 2015; Concha-Cisternas et al, 2017). Physical activity supports a longer life in good health (May et al, 2015), and physical exercise reduces the effects of aging on functional fitness (Toraman et al, 2004). Physical exercise maintains muscle mass levels and cardiovascular health (Concha-Cis ternas et al, 2017). As these factors usually limit functional fitness, physical exercise is an optimal and important preventive strategy (Hurst et al, 2019). Physical exercise programs can reverse frailty and improve cognition and emotional and social networking in controlled pop ulations of community-dwelling frail older adults (Tarazona-Santa balbina et al, 2016)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion