Impacto da pandemia da covid-19 na saúde física e mental dos idosos

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health of the elderly. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional study with descriptive design, quantitative approach, analytical type with correlation between variables. The research was carried out with 72 elderlies over 60 years of age; users of the Unified Health System (SUS), in a city in the interior of São Paulo state. The sample was a non-probabilistic convenience sample. A sociodemographic health questionnaire was used; Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). The patients' blood pressure and blood glucose levels were measured at the time of the interview and compared to the average values of the last year (chart records). RESULTS: It was found that most of the interviewees was male 52.78% (38/72), aged between 60 and 70 years 56.94% (41/72), white 81.94% (59/72), married 59.72% (43/72), living with a partner 33.33% (24/72), incomplete elementary school education 52.78% (38/72), retired 81.94% (59/72), with family income of one to three minimum wages 75% (54/72), attended some religion 80.56% (58/72) and used some digital social network 66.67% (48/72). About chronic diseases: hypertension 69.44% (50/72); diabetes 23.61% (17/72) and had some other health problem 51.39% (37/72). The elderlies interviewed had anxiety 51.39% (37/72), being mild 26.39% (19/72) and severe 25% (18/72). Higher incidence of anxiety was observed in men 67,57% (25/37) with p=0.013. Most elderlies did not have COVID-19 73.61% (53/72) and there was little significance in the analysis of the incidence of anxiety between elderly who had the disease and those who did not. Depression was observed in the study population less significantly; most did not have depression 70.83% (51/72). When comparing those who had depression due to family income, about 76,92% (10/13)of the cases presented mild depression with income between one and three minimum wages. Patients who used Social Networks presented significantly less depression than those who did not use them p=0.015. COVID-19 has affected the memory of the elderly, being the elderly who had contracted COVID-19; 73.68% (14/19) realized that they were more forgetful in recent months p=0.000. In the comparison of those who practiced physical activity, there was a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic from 36.1% (26/72) to 13.89% (10/72). Regarding Blood Pressure; the mean values recorded over the last year, a considerable and widespread increase was observed in this population, with the pressure of SBP > 140 and DBP ≥ 90 from 12.50% (9/72) in the last year to 45.83% (33/72) at the interview with p=0.000.CONCLUSION: With an uncertain scenario of the pandemic of COVID-19, this study showed that anxiety has presented more expressively than depression. The elderlies noticed that they had been more forgetful after COVID-19. Regarding physical health, there was a significant decrease in physical activity during the pandemic and an increase in blood pressure values as compared to the last year. The digital inclusion of the elderly was very important during the pandemic, because the elderlies who used social networks were less depressed. The contributions of this research are significant for clinical practice, since the use of social networks can be effective for nurses in the health care of the elderly.