Homebound older adults who live independently in rural Japan: Prevalence and contributing factors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Being homebound is a phenomenon of confining older adults to their homes owing to health, social, and psychological factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people were requested to refrain from going out to prevent infection. Consequently, the homebound status of older adults was influenced by social and environmental factors, resulting in an increase in the number of homebound older adults during the pandemic. This study aimed to determine the homebound prevalence and related factors among homebound older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a cross-sectional study conducted in rural Saitama, Japan, included 1,020 participants aged 65 years and above who did not have long-term care insurance certification and were independent in instrumental activities of daily living. Herein, homebound individuals were defined as those who went out once a week or less. The relationships of homebound status with demographic, health, social, and psychological factors in older adults were examined. The prevalence of homebound independent older adults was estimated as 10.4 % (6.6 % males, 13.8 % females). Homebound status was significantly associated with one or more medical histories (odds ratio [OR] = 1.98, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.00–3.90), no social or family roles (OR = 1.95, 95 % CI = 1.09–3.48), and no hobbies (OR = 1.84, 95 % CI = 1.02–3.34). Establishing social or family roles and promoting participation in hobbies may prevent older adults from being homebound. The social environment, which changed during the pandemic, should be improved to encourage older adults to go out.