Vulnerabilities of older adults and mitigation measures to address COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh: A review

Alam, Shafiul; Sultana, Rumana; Haque, Md Armanul

doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100336

“…The assessment of factors associated with adherence to COVID-19 preventive behavioral measures in the current investigation after vaccination suggested that being 50 years old or older, female, a healthcare worker, and a smoker were associated with higher adherence levels compared with other groups in the same categories. Elderly people are more vulnerable to complications from COVID-19 and are thus more committed to preventive precautions, as expected [ 17 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Assessing Continuity of Adherence to Precautionary Measures for COVID-19 among Vaccinated People in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Alameer

¹

,

Maslamani

²

,

Gosadi

³

et al. 2023

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Background: Adherence to behavioral respiratory hygiene practices is essential in preventing the transmission of COVID-19, especially given the appearance of new variants of the COVID-19 virus. This study estimated the pre- and post-vaccination levels of adherence to COVID-19 preventive behavioral measures among vaccinated people. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed the sociodemographics and preventive behavioral measures, and pre- and post-vaccination data, via a questionnaire. Paired t-tests and Chi-squared tests were used to assess the variation in adherence levels. Results: Of the 480 participants, 57.9% were male, and 30.4% were aged between 30 and 39 years of age. After vaccination, there was a statistically significant decline in adherence to all the assessed behavioral protective measures (p < 0.05). Being 50 years old or older, female, a healthcare worker, and a smoker were associated with higher adherence levels compared with other groups in the same categories. Conclusions: A change in the behavior of the community members regarding COVID-19 after receiving the vaccination and a reduction in adherence to respiratory hygiene practices was observed. This indicates the importance of raising awareness about the possibility of reinfection with COVID-19 despite the vaccination, and the importance of behavioral respiratory hygiene for the prevention and control of COVID-19.

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“…Given the delicate physiological status at this life stage, it is imperative that OSRs are able to access food that is clean, diverse, nutritious, compatible with existing chronic illnesses, and easy to chew and digest. Elderly refugees can be at high risk of malnutrition due to multiple risk factors related to ageing and the risks of forced displacement [ 7 , 53 – 56 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

By the numbers and in their own words: A mixed methods study of unmet needs and humanitarian inclusion of older Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Al Omari,

Honein-AbouHaidar,

Mehio Sibai

2024

PLoS ONE

0

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Older people constitute an overlooked vulnerable population in humanitarian crises. Lebanon is a small country that hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. With exacerbating socioeconomic conditions, exclusionary policies against refugees, and a fragmented humanitarian system, the status of older Syrian refugees (OSRs) requires special attention. This study aimed to explore OSRs’ unmet needs, coping strategies, available humanitarian services, and some indicators of the humanitarian inclusion standards focusing on the shelter, health, nutrition and food security, and water, sanitation and hygiene sectors. We conducted a convergent mixed-methods study between December 2021 and March 2022 in the North and Bekaa, including a cross-sectional survey with 461 participants and 14 semi-structured interviews. Results show that OSRs lived in inappropriate shelters (cold, leaking rainwater), especially in informal tented settlements. High rent prices pushed refugee households with elderly to prioritize paying rent at the expense of other needs such as food and medication, particularly when food cash transfer is the sole source of income, jeopardizing food security and intake. Access to dignifying and accessible bathing facilities was compromised in ITSs with shared facilities. Substantial medical costs hindered OSRs access to healthcare such as surgeries. Due to the crisis, chronic medications are not always available in dispensaries for subsidized cost, pushing OSRs to non-compliance and selling food assistance to buy medications. Soaring fuel prices hindered OSRs access to heating and transportation to receive healthcare. No efforts were reported in collecting data on OSRs’ needs, targeting them with information on services, or soliciting feedback for programming, especially in the absence of any age-tailored interventions. Findings shed light on the precarious living conditions of OSRs in Lebanon and add to the body of evidence documenting their invisibility to the humanitarian response. An age-inclusive response is needed through holistic, tailored, and sustainable interventions.

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“…Given the delicate physiological status at this life stage, it is imperative that OSRs are able to access food that is clean, diverse, nutritious, compatible with existing chronic illnesses, and easy to chew and digest. Elderly refugees can be at high risk of malnutrition due to multiple risk factors related to ageing and the risks of forced displacement [7,[50][51][52][53].…”

Section: Issues Unmet Needs Humanitarian Assistance and Coping Strate...mentioning

confidence: 99%

By the numbers and in their own words: A mixed methods study of unmet needs and humanitarian inclusion of older Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Al Omari,

Honein-AbouHaidar,

Mehio Sibai

2024

Preprint

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Older people constitute an overlooked vulnerable population in humanitarian crises. Lebanon is a small country that hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. With exacerbating socioeconomic conditions, exclusionary policies against refugees, and a fragmented humanitarian system, the status of older Syrian refugees (OSRs) requires special attention. This study aimed to explore OSRs’ unmet needs, coping strategies, available humanitarian services, and some indicators of the humanitarian inclusion standards focusing on the shelter, health, nutrition and food security, and water, sanitation and hygiene sectors. We conducted a convergent mixed-methods study between December 2021 and March 2022 in the North and Bekaa, including a cross-sectional survey with 461 participants and 14 semi-structured interviews. Results show that OSRs lived in inappropriate shelters (cold, leaking rainwater), especially in informal tented settlements. High rent prices pushed refugee households with elderly to prioritize paying rent at the expense of other needs such as food and medication, particularly when food cash transfer is the sole source of income, jeopardizing food security and intake. Access to dignifying and accessible bathing facilities was compromised in ITSs with shared facilities. Substantial medical costs hindered OSRs access to healthcare such as surgeries. Due to the crisis, chronic medications are not always available in dispensaries for subsidized cost, pushing OSRs to non-compliance and selling food assistance to buy medications. Soaring fuel prices hindered OSRs access to heating and transportation to receive healthcare. No efforts were reported in collecting data on OSRs’ needs, targeting them with information on services, or soliciting feedback for programming, especially in the absence of any age-tailored interventions. Findings shed light on the precarious living conditions of OSRs in Lebanon and add to the body of evidence documenting their invisibility to the humanitarian response. An age-inclusive response is needed through holistic, tailored, and sustainable interventions.

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Vulnerabilities of older adults and mitigation measures to address COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh: A review

Cited by 4 publications

References 44 publications

Assessing Continuity of Adherence to Precautionary Measures for COVID-19 among Vaccinated People in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Assessing Continuity of Adherence to Precautionary Measures for COVID-19 among Vaccinated People in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

By the numbers and in their own words: A mixed methods study of unmet needs and humanitarian inclusion of older Syrian refugees in Lebanon

By the numbers and in their own words: A mixed methods study of unmet needs and humanitarian inclusion of older Syrian refugees in Lebanon

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