Effects of socioeconomic status on physical activity and cardiovascular diseases prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the older adults

PURPOSE: This research seeks to evaluate the repercussions of socioeconomic status (SES) on physical activity (PA) among the older population, both pre and intra-COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to scrutinize whether alteration in PA behaviors based on SES impacts cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It is well established that PA has a significant association with CVDs and the pandemic has restricted PA in the older population. We endeavor to discern whether SES modulates PA levels and whether these levels of PA behavior subsequently influence the incidence of CVDs among older adults. METHODS: The analytical framework of this study relies on the data procured from the Fact-Finding on the Status of Senior Citizens (FSSSC) survey conducted in 2017 and 2020, involving 10,299 (75 ± 6 years) and 10,097 (74 ± 6 years) participants, respectively. We employ Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to elucidate the ramification of the COVID-19 pandemic on CVDs while accommodating potential mediating and confounding variables, including socioeconomic status, PA levels, body mass index (BMI), and gender, in the context of the pandemic and CVDs. RESULTS: Our empirical models indicated a tendency for older adults of lower socioeconomic status (SES) to exhibit diminished levels of physical activity (PA) compared to their counterparts of higher SES, particularly considering the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, prolonged engagement in PA is associated with a reduced risk of hypertension (p = 0.010), and congestive heart failure & arrhythmia (p < 0.001), when accounting for confounding factors. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an SES-based disparity in PA among older adults, despite PA time being greater in older individuals with higher SES. Interestingly, this did not result in a reduction in CVDs. Therefore, the study emphasizes the need for targeted exercise programs may be necessary to mitigate health inequality among the older population.