An Observational Cohort Study of Longitudinal Impacts on Frailty and Well-Being of COVID-19 Lockdowns in Older Adults in England and Spain

Garner, Ian and Varey, Sandra and Navarro-Pardo, Esperanza and Marr, Calum and Holland, Carol (2022) An Observational Cohort Study of Longitudinal Impacts on Frailty and Well-Being of COVID-19 Lockdowns in Older Adults in England and Spain. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30 (5). pp. 2905-2916. ISSN 0966-0410

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Abstract

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, governments initiated lockdowns, limiting mobility and social interaction of populations. Lockdown is linked to health issues, yet the full impact on health remains unknown, particularly in more vulnerable groups. This study examined impact on frailty and outcomes in high and low COVID-19 risk older adults. We examined health-related behaviours and support resources participants used during lockdown(s). Lockdown impacts in two countries were compared across four time points to examine impacts of different rules. We recruited 70 participants (aged >70 years) in England and Spain. Participants were allocated to higher or lower COVID-19-risk groups based on UK NHS guidelines. They completed assessments for frailty, quality-of-life, loneliness, exercise frequency and social interaction, coping resources and perception of age-friendliness of their environment. The four assessments took place over a 7-month period. Frailty was highest at Time 1 (most severe lockdown restrictions) and significantly higher in the Spanish group. It was lower at Time 3 (lowest restrictions), but did not continue to reduce for the English participants. Perceptions of the age friendliness of the environment matched these changes. Coping resources did not mitigate changes in frailty and outcomes over time, but more frequent physical activity predicted more reduction in frailty. Lockdown had a negative impact on frailty, increasing risk of adverse events for older people, but recovery once lockdowns are eased is evidenced. Further research is required to consider longer term impacts and methods to mitigate effects of lockdown on health.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Health & Social Care in the Community
Additional Information:
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Garner, I. W., Varey, S., Navarro-Pardo, E., Marr, C., & Holland, C. A. (2022). An observational cohort study of longitudinal impacts on frailty and well-being of COVID-19 lockdowns in older adults in England and Spain. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30, e2905– e2916. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13735 which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.13735 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3301
Subjects:
?? covid-19frailtyhealthresiliencelockdownsocial sciences (miscellaneous)public health, environmental and occupational healthsociology and political sciencehealth policy ??
ID Code:
165167
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
26 Jan 2022 15:30
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
25 Mar 2024 00:38