Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Activity, Fatigue, and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to describe the level of physical activity and its relation to fatigue and frailty during the COVID-19 pandemic in community-dwelling older adults aged 80 years and over. Three hundred and ninety-one older adults (aged 86.5 ± 3.00) completed a survey including physical activity, the Mobility Tiredness scale, and the FRAIL scale. Linear regression analysis was conducted to assess whether the variables age, sex, and physical activity (independent factors) were significantly related to fatigue and frailty. Respectively, 30.5% and 24.7% of the participants reported a decrease in walking and in energy-intensive activities; 25.4% reported increased sedentary behavior. A lower level of physical activity was associated with higher levels of fatigue and increased frailty risk (p < .05), independently from psychological symptoms. These results are important because participants with lower levels of physical activity and more sedentary behavior are more likely to feel fatigued and have higher risk to be frail.PMID:38016449 | DOI:10.1123/japa.2021-0366

Source: Journal of Aging and Physical Activity - November 28, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Veerle Knoop Axelle Costenoble Aziz Debain Kristof Van der Meulen Patricia De Vriendt Ellen Gorus Bert Bravenboer Bart Jansen Aldo Scafoglieri Ivan Bautmans Gerontopole Brussels Study Group Source Type: research