Alterações na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde e atividade física entre idosos durante a pandemia da Covid-19: uma análise longitudinal

Abstract

The social / physical distance causes sedentary behavior. This study aimed to follow the effects of social/physical distancing strategies under health-related daily physical activity (DPA) and quality of life (HRQoL) among elderly persons during COVID-19 pandemic, and additionally, to verify the association between physical functional performance, DPA, and HRQoL during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: Seventy-two elderly, who were enrolled in an University-Community program in March 2020 (age=66.8 ±4.82 years, ♀59) answered five phone-based surveys up to 120 days after the COVID-19 outbreak (from April to August 2020). SF-6D (Short Form 6D) and international physical activity (IPAQ-short version) questionnaires were used. Non-parametric repeated measure (Friedman´s test) verified the time effect (April to August) on DPA and HRQoL with pairwise comparisons (Durbin-Conover test), considering p ≤ 0.05. Results: Expressive reduction was observed for IPAQ qualitative classification, MET, and HRQoL scores; as well as, an increase on sitting time during week and weekend days (all p<0.01). We note that the biggest differences in life style conditions were seen at the beginning of the social / physical distance of this community assessed (p<0.01). Conclusions: Health vulnerabilities among elderly has been emphasized during the COVID-19 outbreak on DPA, and HRQoL. There is an urgent need to implement health promotion actions for the elderly, focused on monitoring chronic diseases, psychosocial vulnerabilities and encouraging the use of technology to maintain healthy lifestyle aspects and quality of life.