Associations between Lifestyle Changes and Adherence to COVID-19 Restrictions in Older Adults with Hypertension

Abstract

COVID-19 has changed people’s routines and imposed new ways of living. This study investigated variations in lifestyles (namely, physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking) between the prepandemic and the pandemic period in a sample of older adults with hypertension. Moreover, it investigated predictors of adherence to government restrictions during the first lockdown period, evidencing the role of relevant sociodemographic indicators and lifestyle changes. A sample of 105 older Italian adults (M_age = 70 years; SD = 5.83) with hypertension was enrolled from a previous longitudinal study and interviewed on the phone between May and August 2020. Updated information about sociodemographic indicators and lifestyle changes was collected. Adherence to restrictions was explored through several questions regarding compliance with home confinement, facemask use, and the observance of social distancing. Results evidenced that only 33% of the respondents abided by all the national restrictions. During the first pandemic peak, considerable changes in lifestyles occurred, particularly regarding physical activity, which diminished in 70% of the sample. Women, unemployed/retired people, and individuals who decreased their amount of physical activity reported higher adherence to rules. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle over time is essential for disease prevention. Therefore, it is essential to continue to inform the population about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and it is necessary to provide guidelines to maintain and promote it even during housebound periods.

Experiences of People with Cardiovascular Disease during COVID-19 in Sweden: A Qualitative Study

“…Some participants slowly resigned to the emotional strain from feeling lonely and that the life space was shrinking, resulting in a more sedentary lifestyle with emotion-focused behaviors, such as spending hours watching TV and eating unhealthy food. Previous studies have found the same patterns of eating and drinking [ 37 , 38 ], which may lead to increased risks of worsening the underlying medical condition. They felt that they had lost the ability to take the initiative and get a grip on their situation.…”

Older adults’ perspectives towards optimizing lifestyle behaviors and strategies to support healthy brain ageing during COVID-19 restrictions

“…Another detrimental impact consistent with previous research is reduced physical activity levels during home confinement ( 28 , 37 ). The reductions on all levels of physical activity and greater amounts of time sitting daily ( 39 ) is described in several cross-sectional studies in Dutch, Japanese, Italian and Australian older adult samples ( 32 , 33 , 40 , 41 ). Our study expands on this and provides insights into the personal challenges involved in adapting and managing their lifestyles to foster physical activity under these new circumstances.…”

“…Broader COVID-19 research suggests that this could be a direct health consequence of acquiring COVID-19 with pre-existing chronic conditions (respiratory, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative diseases) which creates persistent symptoms, increased frailty, poorer health and can cause long COVID-19 ( 42 ) amongst older adults. Reductions in brain healthy lifestyle may also be a characteristic of those who exhibited higher adherence to government orders ( 33 ), those with pre-existing mental health conditions (anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder) ( 43 ), subjective memory complaints ( 32 ), and those who reported difficulties with certain behaviors like sleep problems and elevated alcohol and drug use ( 43 ) throughout lockdown which may have had a compounding effect on their ability to stay engaged in a healthy lifestyle.…”

“…These behaviors also differed based on sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, living circumstances, and income. Younger older adults, females, individuals living alone and in urban areas and individuals with an unsatisfactory income, reported more negative impacts on their lifestyle in a Dutch sample ( 32 ); whilst females, unemployed, retired and those reporting better adherence to restrictions, reported diminished physical activity in an Italian sample ( 33 ). Although long-term impacts of COVID-19 on lifestyle are unknown, research highlights the need to consider the sustained impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on vulnerable populations, including physical, financial and social recovery after COVID-19 restrictions and the fundamental changes in the way people think/behave and institutions operate.…”

Mandatory and seasonal vaccination against COVID-19: Attitudes of the vaccinated people in Serbia

“…Older people are considered a high-risk group for poor COVID-19 outcomes, and this has been consistently discussed in the media. They also seem to be consistently wearing facemasks and adhering to recommendations for COVID-19 prevention [24]. Having friends who were affected and not being personally affected with COVID-19 were also predictive of a positive attitude towards mandatory and seasonal vaccination.…”