Physical Activity, Sleeping Problems, Weight, Feelings of Social Isolation, and Quality of Life of Older Adults After Coronavirus Infection: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

There is debate as to whether a coronavirus infection (SARS-CoV-2) affects older adults' physical activity, sleeping problems, weight, feelings of social isolation, and quality of life (QoL). We investigated differences in these outcomes between older adults with and without coronavirus infection over 180 days following infection.

METHODS

We included 6789 older adults (65+) from the Lifelines COVID-19 cohort study who provided data between April 2020 and June 2021. Older adults (65+) with and without coronavirus infection were matched on sex, age, education, living situation, body mass index, smoking status, vulnerable health, time of infection, and precoronavirus health outcome. Weighted linear mixed models, adjusted for strictness of governmental policy measures, were used to compare health outcomes after infection between groups.

RESULTS

In total, 309 participants were tested positive for coronavirus. Eight days after infection, older adults with a coronavirus infection engaged in less physical activity, had more sleeping problems, weighed less, felt more socially isolated, and had a lower QoL than those without an infection. Differences in weight, feelings of social isolation, and QoL were absent after 90 days. However, differences in physical activity were still present at 90 days following infection and sleeping problems were present at 180 days.

CONCLUSION

Our findings found negative associations of coronavirus infection with all the examined outcomes, which for physical activity persisted for 90 days and sleeping problems for 180 days. Magnitudes of estimated effects on physical activity and sleeping problems remain uncertain.