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

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.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Physical Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults Who Regularly Exercise

The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of social distancing on physical activity (PA) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in active Spanish older adults according to their physical functionality. The study included 58 older adults aged 76.24 ± 6.00 years who were enrolled in a supervised physical exercise program before the COVID-19 outbreak. Anthropometric, physical function, physical activity and HRQoL were measured at baseline (October 2019). After the two-month lockdown due to the COVID-19, questionnaires were collected again during de-escalation (May 2020). Participants were divided into high- (n = 29) and low-functionality (n = 29) groups. Total PA, walking and cleaning significantly decreased (p <0.001) whilst exercising or dancing increased (p <0.001). General health, social and emotional role functioning dimensions and overall mental component scores worsened (p <0.01–p <0.05). Low-functionality participants had significantly lower physical functioning scores at baseline (p <0.01) and lower bodily pain scores at de-escalation (p <0.01). Emotional role functioning dimension and overall mental component significantly decreased only in low-functionality participants (p <0.05). Although PA levels decreased significantly, older adults continued being active regardless of their functionality. While mental HRQoL in participants with higher physical functionality remained unchanged, participants with lower functional capacity had a higher risk of mental health concerns. Therefore, attention should focus on strategies to mitigate the negative effects of distancing measures on older people’s mental health, especially in those with lower functionality.

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Spanish University Students: Role of Gender.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, entire populations were instructed to live in home-confinement to prevent the expansion of the disease. Spain was one of the countries with the strictest conditions, as outdoor physical activity was banned for nearly two months. This study aimed to analyse the changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours in Spanish university students before and during the confinement by COVID-19 with special focus on gender. We also analysed enjoyment, the tools used and motivation and impediments for doing physical activity. An online questionnaire, which included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and certain "ad hoc" questions, was designed. Students were recruited by distributing an invitation through the administrative channels of 16 universities and a total of 13,754 valid surveys were collected. Overall, university students reduced moderate (-29.5%) and vigorous (-18.3%) physical activity during the confinement and increased sedentary time (+52.7%). However, they spent more time on high intensity interval training (HIIT) (+18.2%) and mind-body activities (e.g., yoga) (+80.0%). Adaptation to the confinement, in terms of physical activity, was handled better by women than by men. These results will help design strategies for each gender to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour during confinement periods.