Decreased daily exercise since the COVID-19 pandemic and the deterioration of health-related quality of life in the elderly population: a population-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUNDS: The current prolonging state of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), could affect many aspects of people’s lives, especially the elderly population who experience a decrease in regular exercise. However, whether this decrease in regular exercise affects health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of the elderly population, remains unclear. METHODS: The current population-based cross-sectional survey aimed to identify the relationship between the decrease in regular exercise since the COVID-19 pandemic and any changes in the HRQOL in the general elderly Japanese population. This study was conducted as a part of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Habikino city in Japan, between June and July 2021 using printed questionnaires. The participants included residents of the city who were aged ≥ 65 years, and were being vaccinated for COVID-19 at the city’s center. The EuroQoL 5-dimension 5-level (EQ-5D-5L) was assessed at two different time points (pre-pandemic and current). Data on lifestyle changes, including their regular exercise routine since the pandemic, were collected. RESULTS: Finally, 14,494 participants (45.3% of the city’s total elderly residents) were enrolled. Among them, 4321 participants (29.8%) had experienced a decrease in regular exercise since the pandemic. These participants showed a significantly higher rate of deterioration in all the EQ-5D-5L domains than the participants who did not experience a decrease in regular exercise. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, participants with a decrease in regular exercise were significantly related to the EQ-5D-5L index deterioration compared to those with an unchanged regular exercise routine (p < 0.001, adjusted odds ratio = 5.60) independent of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and the existence of back pain, joint pain, and/or numbness of extremities. CONCLUSION: The current survey that included 45% of the elderly people living in a city revealed that up to 30% of them had experienced a decrease in the regular exercise since the COVID-19 pandemic. This decrease was significantly related to HRQOL deterioration independent of age, sex, BMI, baseline activities of daily living status, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Our data could be useful for understanding the current problem and provide a strong basis for the creation of exercise guidelines for the post-COVID-19 era.