Consequências biopsicossociais da pandemia de Covid-19 para idosos usuários da Atenção Primária à Saúde.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the biological, psychological and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for older adults users of primary health care in Uberaba-MG. This is a follow-up study, with data from the baseline of the participants of the study entitled “Biological, psychosocial and environmental determinants of the epidemiological, functional and well-being profiles of users of Primary Health Care”. This study was conducted in 2019 to investigate aspects related to functional decline in a representative sample of individuals aged 60 years or older, followed in primary health care in Uberaba-MG. Trained researchers interviewed 201 participants who were waiting for care at the units on different days and times. In 2021, these participants were followed up by telephone call in order to collect information on the consequences of the pandemic. When the participant answered the call and agreed to participate, the researcher started and ended the data collection protocol in Google Forms, so that, at the end of the research, the spreadsheet was generated and later inserted in SPSS. Descriptive analyzes expressed in frequencies, and means and standard deviation were performed. Baseline and follow-up aspects were compared using the t test for independent samples, with a significance of 5%. The results revealed that the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for the older adults comprise biopsychosocial aspects. One-third of the participants (31.4%) reported memory impairment and more than half experienced mood-related problems. Approximately half of the participants reported muscle weakness (48.6%) and slowness to walk (51.4%) during the pandemic. Changes in income and living arrangements were also significant. Education and baseline walking time were associated with reported unintentional weight loss during the pandemic. Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with muscle weakness and slow walking. This implies possible demands that should be target by social and health policies and interventions to deal with the post-pandemic scenario. In addition, the study points to the need to reflect on mistakes and successes, in order to prepare society to face future health crises.