ABSTRACT
Objective: This study examines the effects of the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on frailty in a group of older adults at the end of the first year of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the end of the first year of the pandemic. Our study included 394 older adults who were contacted at primary care health centers. The FRAIL scale, the coronavirus fear scale and the scale of adjustment to measures in respiratory disease outbreaks in the Elderly were used. Results: The average age of the 394 individuals who participated was 70.38±5.68 years. Overall, 33% of the individuals have been infected with COVID-19. It was found that the prefrail and frail older populations increased by 2.7% and 13.8%, respectively, in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic was found to have a moderate effect on the frailty scores. The risk of frailty was found to be 2 [odds ratio (OR)=2.04, confidence interval (CI) (95%)=1.28-3.23] times higher in individuals that tested positive for COVID-19. The fear of coronavirus increased the risk of frailty by 1.08 times [OR=1.08, CI (95%)=1.03-1.13]. The risk of frailty was reduced by 1.03 [OR=0.96, CI (95%)=0.94-0.99] times in the older adults who complied with the precautions. Conclusion: COVID-19 and the fear of COVID-19 it causes increase the risk of frailty among the older adults. Compliance with the recommended measures reduces the risk of frailty. © Copyright 2022 by the Academic Geriatrics Society / European Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology published by Galenos Publishing House.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the effect of surgical masks (SM), which are widely used in the community in the fight against COVID-19, on breathing air quality and blood oxygen saturation among healthy people. This study included 45 healthy individuals. At rest and indoor conditions: blood oxygen concentrations and heart rates were recorded, while simultaneous oxygen (O-2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), VOC (volatile organic compounds) concentrations, and humidity and temperature were measured both in the mouth-nose area (MNA) in the indoor area before the mask was worn, and in MNA inside the mask (in-mask) after the mask was worn. The mean age of 45 healthy participants was 36.06 with a male to female ratio of 53.3% to 46.7%. When the indoor room air values in MNA without SM were compared with in-mask MNA values;in-mask O-2 saturation was observed to decrease, CO to increase in smokers, and VOC, humidity and temperature to significantly increase in all participants. SM wearing was observed not to significantly alter simultaneously measured peripheral blood O-2 saturation and resting heart rate. The (measured) effect of SM wearing on O-2 saturation and heart rate was found to be very small. Wearing a surgical mask was found not to impair blood O-2 saturation in healthy individuals at rest. Further studies can be recommended to support the results in this study.