Physical activity and depression in older adults in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the whole world, individuals aged 65 and over were in the group of “leaving home restriction” for a long time. Evaluation of physical activity and depression variables gains importance in the older adults who are physically exposed to inactivity. Methods: The research was conducted on 97 male and 78 female participants aged 65 and over with the “non-probabilistic sampling methods with convenience sampling” method. The Physical Activity Scale for Elderly (PASE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale were used as data collection tools. Results: The difference between physical activity and geriatric depression by gender is statistically insignificant (p>0.05). The difference between youngest-old and oldest-old age group according to the level of physical activity is statistically significant (p<0.05) and this difference is in favor of the youngest-old group. A low-level significant correlation was observed between geriatric depression and the Physical Activity Level (r=-0.150, p=0.047). Conclusions: In the light of the findings obtained from the study, a decrease in depression is observed with an increase in physical activity in the older adults. It is recommended to develop strategies to support physical activity for the older adults in isolation.