Abstract

MARTINS, Caroline Machado; SOARES, Vinícius Nagy  and  FERNANDES, Paula Teixeira. Association between Physical Activity and Emotional Aspects of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Rev. Psicol. Saúde [online]. 2022, vol.14, n.3, pp.31-43.  Epub July 08, 2024. ISSN 2177-093X.  https://doi.org/10.20435/pssa.v14i3.2118.

To find out the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the association between physical activity and emotional aspects of older adults. For this, 101 people aged 60 years or older answered an online questionnaire, via Google Forms. We identified that 45.5% of respondents had worsened physical performance, while 11% reported improved physical fitness during the pandemic. The most frequently performed exercises were walking (54.5%) and strength training (21.8%). Regarding mobility, the most frequent activities were going to the market (76.2%), walking in the neighborhood (64.4%), and going out to sunbathe (61.4%). Generalized Linear Model showed that worsening physical performance was associated with higher levels of psychological distress (b=4.35, 95% CI: 1.31-7.11, p=0.003). Our results indicate that improved physical performance generates positive repercussions on emotional aspects in older adults, reinforcing the importance of regular exercise, even in a pandemic period.

Keywords : COVID-19; older adult; exercise; psychological distress..

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