Background

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) reached the Netherlands in February 2020. To minimize the spread of the virus, the Dutch government announced an “intelligent lockdown”. Older individuals were urged to socially isolate completely, because they are at risk of a severe disease course. Although isolation reduces the medical impact of the virus, the non-medical impact should also be considered.

Aim

To investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictive measures on the six dimensions of Positive Health in community-dwelling older individuals living in the Netherlands, and to identify differences within subgroups.

Methods

In May/June 2020, community-dwelling older individuals aged ≥ 65 years completed an online survey based on Huber’s model of Positive Health. Positive Health was measured regarding the appreciation of the six dimensions (categorized as poor/satisfactory/excellent) and a comparison with a year before (categorized as decreased/unchanged/increased) using frequencies (%) and a chi-square test.

Results

834 older individuals participated (51% women, 38% aged ≥ 76 years, 35% living alone, 16% self-rated poor health). Most respondents assessed their bodily functions, mental well-being and daily functioning as satisfactory, their meaningfulness and quality of life (QoL) as excellent, and their social participation as poor. 12% of the respondents reported a deterioration of 4-6 dimensions and 73% in 1-3 dimensions, compared to the past year. Deterioration was most frequently experienced in the dimension social participation (73%), the dimension mental well-being was most frequently improved (37%) and quality of life was in 71% rated as unchanged. Women more often observed a deterioration of 4-6 dimensions than men (15% vs. 8%, p = 0.001), and individuals with self-rated poor health more often than individuals with self-rated good health (22% vs. 10%, p < 0.001). Older individuals living alone experienced more frequently a decrease in meaningfulness compared to older individuals living together.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictive measures had a substantial impact on all six dimensions of Positive Health in community-dwelling older individuals, especially in women, respondents living alone and respondents with self-rated poor general health.

© 2022. The Author(s).

Overview publication

TitlePositive health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey among community-dwelling older individuals in the Netherlands.
DateJanuary 13th, 2022
Issue nameBMC geriatrics
Issue numberv22.1:51
DOI10.1186/s12877-021-02737-2
PubMed35026990
AuthorsMoens IS, van Gerven LJ, Debeij SM, Bakker CH, Moester MJC, Mooijaart SP, van der Pas S, Vangeel M, Gussekloo J, Drewes YM & Elzen WPJD
KeywordsBodily functions, COVID-19, Daily functioning, Meaningfulness, Mental well-being, Online questionnaire, Quality of life, Social participation
Read Read publication