Investigation of Physical Activity Levels and Associated Factors of Greek Older Adults During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the self-reported impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity (PA), anxiety, and depression amongst Greek older adults. Participants were older adults (>60years) recruited from community centers of Achaia (Open Care Centers for Older Adults), in Western Greek mainland during the period of December 2020-March 2021. The information was gathered through telephone interviews. Questions on social demographics, health history, diagnosis, quarantine, and hospitalization were asked, as well as impact of the pandemic health status and physical activity behavior. The level of PA was assessed via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) questionnaire, while anxiety and depression via the Hospital and Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Patras. Four-hundred eleven(411) older adults (306 women, 105 men; mean age of 72.47±6.89 years years) completed the survey. About half of the sample (n=179; 43.5%) reported a decrease in physical activity due to the pandemic and social isolation restrictions. From the total sample, 211 older adults (51.3%) recorded fear of COVID-19 infection and 9 participants (2.1%) reported to have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 infection. The findings of this study demonstrated that PA was associated with place of living (r=0.55; p≤0.001), incidence of falls (r=0.45; p≤0.001), COVID-19 infection (r=0.6; p≤0.001), fear of COVID-19 infection (r=0.45; p≤0.05), and anxiety (r=0.5; p≤0.001). In summary, a decline in PA due to COVID-19 pandemic was reported by the majority of Greek older adults. Results of the present study show that the COVID-19 pandemic may have induced PA behavior changes in many older adults, which may accelerate their risk of developing frailty, sarcopenia, and disability. Interventions to improve PA in older adults should take into account social and community factors and should be key components of current and future pandemic plans, particularly for vulnerable groups.