The Change of after lifting the State of Emergency by COVID-19 on the Physical Activity of the Elderly Japanese People

Abstract

In April 2020, the spread of COVID-19 infectious disease in Japan issued a state of emergency, making it impossible for people to go out except for unnecessary and urgent matters. It has been reported that the declaration of self-restraint will significantly reduce the volume of physical activity (PA). However, since the volume of change in the volume of PA after 6 months or more after the declaration of self-control was lifted is unknown, the volume of PA was compared. The participants were 13 elderly people living in Hiroshima City. In October 2020, an activity meter with a 3-axis accelerometer was attached to the participant's waist, and PA and physical function were measured for one week and compared with the PA measured in October 2019. Six months after the declaration was issued, there was changes volume of moderate intensity walking PA, were no changes in the number of steps, activity time, volume of light intensity PA, and volume of total PA (p ≥ 0.07%). Six months have passed since the self-restraint of activities due to the state of emergency, and now that the number of infected people has decreased, it is possible that the volume of PA in the elderly has improved due to the improvement in the sense of security and happiness. This suggests that it is important to continue daily activities, hobbies, and exercises as much as possible while taking measures against infection in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.