@Article{info:doi/10.2196/42223,
author="Wang, Zixin
and Fang, Yuan
and Chan, Paul Shing-Fong
and Yu, Fuk Yuen
and Sun, Fenghua",
title="The Changes in Levels and Barriers of Physical Activity Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults During and After the Fifth Wave of COVID-19 Outbreak in Hong Kong: Repeated Random Telephone Surveys",
journal="JMIR Aging",
year="2023",
month="Jan",
day="23",
volume="6",
pages="e42223",
keywords="COVID-19; physical activity; older adults; barriers; changes; repeated random telephone survey; China; aging; elderly population; community-dwelling older adults; health promotion; telehealth",
abstract="Background: COVID-19 has had an impact on physical activity (PA) among older adults; however, it is unclear whether this effect would be long-lasting, and there is a dearth of studies assessing the changes in barriers to performing PA among older adults before and after entering the ``postpandemic era.'' Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the levels and barriers of PA among a random sample of community-dwelling older adults recruited during (February to April 2022) and after the fifth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak (May to July 2022) in Hong Kong. In addition, we investigated factors associated with a low PA level among participants recruited at different time points. Methods: This study involved two rounds of random telephone surveys. Participants were community-dwelling Chinese-speaking individuals aged 65 years or above and having a Hong Kong ID card. Household telephone numbers were randomly selected from the most updated telephone directories. Experienced interviewers carried out telephone interviews between 6 PM and 10 PM on weekdays and between 2 PM and 9 PM on Saturdays to avoid undersampling of working individuals. We called 3900 and 3840 households in the first and second round, respectively; for each round, 640 and 625 households had an eligible older adult and 395 and 370 completed the telephone survey, respectively. Results: As compared to participants in the first round, fewer participants indicated a low level of PA in the second round (28.6{\%} vs 45.9{\%}, P<.001). Participants in the second round had higher metabolic equivalent of tasks-minutes/week (median 1707.5 vs 840, P<.001) and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA per week (median 240 vs 105, P<.001) than those in the first round. After adjustment for significant background characteristics, participants who perceived a lack of physical capacity to perform PA (first round: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.34, P=.001; second round: 2.92, P=.002) and believed that PA would cause pain and discomfort (first round: AOR 2.04, P=.02; second round: 2.82, P=.001) were more likely to have a low level of PA in both rounds. Lack of time (AOR 4.19, P=.01) and concern about COVID-19 infection during PA (AOR 1.73, P=.02) were associated with a low level of PA among participants in the first round, but not in the second round. A perceived lack of space and facility to perform PA at home (AOR 2.03, P=.02) and unable to find people to do PA with (AOR 1.80, P=.04) were associated with a low PA level in the second round, but not in the first round. Conclusions: The level of PA increased significantly among older adults after Hong Kong entered the ``postpandemic era.'' Different factors influenced older adults' PA level during and after the fifth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Regular monitoring of the PA level and its associated factors should be conducted to guide health promotion and policy-making. ",
issn="2561-7605",
doi="10.2196/42223",
url="https://aging.jmir.org/2023/1/e42223",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/42223",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36599172"
}