Reduced ability to engage in social and physical activity and mental health of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: longitudinal analysis from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

BACKGROUND: Restrictions implemented to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 have affected the ability of many older adults to engage in social and physical activities. We examined the mental health outcomes for older adults whose ability to be socially and physically active was reduced during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a nationally representative longitudinal cohort of Canadian residents aged 45–85 years, at CLSA baseline (2012–15), follow-up 1 (2018), COVID-19 baseline (April–May, 2020), and COVID-19 exit surveys (September–December, 2020) were used. Participants were asked the degree to which their ability to participate in social and physical activity had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between the risk of a positive screen for depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score >10) and anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment-7 score >10) and reduced participants' ability to participate in social and physical activity. Models were adjusted for age group, dwelling type, geographic area, household composition, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and smoking status at COVID-19 baseline; alcohol consumption at COVID-19 exit; and multimorbidity, physical activity, income, social participation, and diagnosis of anxiety or mood disorders before the COVID-19 pandemic. FINDINGS: Of the 24 108 participants who completed the COVID-19 exit survey, 5219 (22·0%) screened positive for depression and 1132 (5·0%) screened positive for anxiety. Depression and anxiety were associated with a decreased ability to participate in social activity (odds ratio [OR] 1·85 [95% CI 1·67–2·04] for depression; 1·66 [1·37–2·02] for anxiety) and physical activity (2·46 [2·25–2·69] for depression; 1·96 [1·68–2·30] for anxiety). INTERPRETATION: Older adults whose ability to participate in social and physical activities was reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic had poorer mental health outcomes than those whose ability remained the same or improved. Individuals who had low pre-COVID-19 levels of social and physical activity had a higher frequency of positive depression and anxiety screens. These findings highlight the importance of fostering social and physical activity resources in advance of, and during, future lockdown measures. FUNDING: The CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire study was funded by the Juravinski Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, McMaster University Provost Fund, McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Government of Nova Scotia. The CLSA is funded by the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant number LSA94473) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. PR holds the Raymond and Margaret Labarge Chair in Optimal Aging and Knowledge Application for Optimal Aging, and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Geroscience. TDC is a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (grant number SCH-2020-0490).