Changes in lifestyle, mood, and disease management among community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Background: Lives of older adults have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A telephone survey was conducted among the older adults aged 60 and above who lived in downtown Shanghai. We compared the lifestyle, mood, and disease management of older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: One hundred and fifty-six older adults in Shanghai completed the survey. The proportions of older adults with adequate consumption of meat (49.4% vs. 53.1%, P = 0.0339) and eggs (73.7% vs. 77.6%, P = 0.0143) were significantly higher than before. Participants spent significantly more time on housework (median: 2.0, IQR:1.0–3.0 vs. median: 2.0, IQR:1.0–2.0 h/day; P = 0.0361) and leisure activities (median: 7.0, IQR: 5.0–8.6 vs. median: 6.0, IQR: 4.0–8.5 h/day; P<0.0001) during the pandemic than before. More participants developed new hobbies (27.6% vs. 36.5%, P = 0.0470) and learned new skills (5.1% vs. 19.9%, P<0.0001). However, the number of participants routinely self-testing blood glucose and/or blood pressure decreased from 77.6% before to 64.1% during the pandemic (P = 0.0002). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the lifestyle, mood, and chronic diseases management among community-dwelling older adults. Supportive measures and interventions need to be tailored to older adults living in the community.