Associations between socioeconomic status, social participation, and physical activity in older people during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in a northern Japanese city

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is a key determinant of health in older adults. However, little is known about the effect of social factors on PA among older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the association between socioeconomic status, social participation, and PA during the pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 999 community-dwelling residents aged 65–90 years. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic status, social participation, and PA data in August 2020. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for the associations between socioeconomic status, social participation, and maintaining PA. For both sexes, PA was reduced by approximately 5%–10% after the onset of COVID-19-related distancing restrictions. Men with a low socioeconomic status were less physically active (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.30–0.82). Women who reported social participation had higher odds of maintaining PA (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.13–2.45) during the restrictions. Higher socioeconomic status and social participation levels before the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped older adults to maintain PA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed to clarify the potential effects of these factors on the health of older adults.