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Romero DE, Muzy J, Damacena GN, Souza NAD, Almeida WDSD, Szwarcwald CL, Malta DC, Barros MBDA, Souza Júnior PRBD, Azevedo LO, Gracie R, Pina MDFD, Lima MG, Machado ÍE, Gomes CS, Werneck AO, Silva DRPD. Older adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: effects on health, income and work. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2021; 37:e00216620. [PMID: 33825801 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311x00216620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this study is to characterize the population of older adults in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to health, socioeconomic conditions, gender inequality, adherence to social distancing and feelings of sadness or depression. It is a cross-sectional study carried out with Brazilian older adults who responded to an online health survey (N = 9,173), using a "virtual snowball" sampling method. Data were collected online via a self-administered questionnaire. Prevalence and confidence interval estimates were performed and verified for independence using Pearson's chi-square test. During the pandemic there was a fall in household income among almost half of older adults. Extreme social distancing was practiced by 30.9% (95%CI: 27.8; 34.1) and 12.2% (95%CI: 10.1; 14.7) did not adhere to it. Older adults who were not working before the pandemic adhered in greater numbers to extreme social distancing measures. Most of them presented comorbidities associated with a higher risk of developing the severe form of COVID-19. Feelings of loneliness, distress and sadness were frequent among older adults, especially women. The COVID-19 pandemic widened the inequality gap by affecting the most vulnerable older people. Strategies to mitigate loneliness and social distancing should consider social vulnerability and the marked difference between men and women in terms of household composition and socioeconomic and working conditions. The development of representative surveys of Brazilian older adults is recommended, investigating the impact of the pandemic on this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia Elena Romero
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Jéssica Muzy
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Giseli Nogueira Damacena
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Nathalia Andrade de Souza
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Wanessa da Silva de Almeida
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Celia Landmann Szwarcwald
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | | | | | - Luiz Otávio Azevedo
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Renata Gracie
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Maria de Fátima de Pina
- Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | - Ísis Eloah Machado
- Escola de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brasil
| | - Crizian Saar Gomes
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil
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