TY - JOUR
T1 - Behavioral and Mental Responses towards the COVID-19 Pandemic among Chinese Older Adults
T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study
AU - Liang, Wei
AU - Duan, Yanping
AU - Yang, Min
AU - Shang, Borui
AU - Hu, Chun
AU - Wang, Yanping
AU - Baker, Julien Steven
N1 - Funding information:
This research was funded by the Start-Up Grant and Strategic Development Fund (SDF) of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). The funding organization had no role in the study design, study implementation, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation, or publication decision. The work is the responsibility of the authors. The APC was funded by the conference “Transnational and Transdisciplinary Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic”, an International Symposium Organized by the Department of Government and International Studies in association, HKBU with the Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, HKBU and the David C Lam Institute for East-West Studies.
Publisher copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - The novel COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly and continuously influenced global societies. As a vulnerable population that accounted for the highest percentage of deaths from the pandemic, older adults have experienced huge life-altering challenges and increased risks of mental problems during the pandemic. Empirical evidence is needed to develop effective strategies to promote preventive measures and mitigate the adverse psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the behavioral responses (i.e., preventive behaviors, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption) and mental responses (i.e., depression and loneliness) towards the COVID-19 pandemic among Chinese older adults. A further aim was to identify the associations among demographics, behavioral responses, and mental responses. Using a convenience sampling approach, 516 older adults were randomly recruited from five cities of Hubei province in China. Results of the cross-sectional survey showed that 11.7% of participants did not adhere to the WHO recommended preventive measures, while 37.6% and 8.3% of participants decreased physical activity and fruit–vegetable consumption respectively. For mental responses, 30.8% and 69.2% of participants indicated significantly depressive symptoms and severe loneliness, respectively. Participants’ behavioral and mental responses differed significantly in several demographics, such as age group, living situation, marital status, education levels, household income, medical conditions, and perceived health status. Demographic correlates and behavioral responses could significantly predicate the mental response with small-to-moderate effect sizes. This is the first study to investigate the characteristics of behavioral and mental responses of Chinese older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research findings may give new insights into future developments of effective interventions and policies to promote health among older adults in the fight against the pandemic.
AB - The novel COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly and continuously influenced global societies. As a vulnerable population that accounted for the highest percentage of deaths from the pandemic, older adults have experienced huge life-altering challenges and increased risks of mental problems during the pandemic. Empirical evidence is needed to develop effective strategies to promote preventive measures and mitigate the adverse psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the behavioral responses (i.e., preventive behaviors, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption) and mental responses (i.e., depression and loneliness) towards the COVID-19 pandemic among Chinese older adults. A further aim was to identify the associations among demographics, behavioral responses, and mental responses. Using a convenience sampling approach, 516 older adults were randomly recruited from five cities of Hubei province in China. Results of the cross-sectional survey showed that 11.7% of participants did not adhere to the WHO recommended preventive measures, while 37.6% and 8.3% of participants decreased physical activity and fruit–vegetable consumption respectively. For mental responses, 30.8% and 69.2% of participants indicated significantly depressive symptoms and severe loneliness, respectively. Participants’ behavioral and mental responses differed significantly in several demographics, such as age group, living situation, marital status, education levels, household income, medical conditions, and perceived health status. Demographic correlates and behavioral responses could significantly predicate the mental response with small-to-moderate effect sizes. This is the first study to investigate the characteristics of behavioral and mental responses of Chinese older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research findings may give new insights into future developments of effective interventions and policies to promote health among older adults in the fight against the pandemic.
KW - COVID-19
KW - preventive behaviors
KW - physical activity (PA)
KW - fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC)
KW - depression
KW - loneliness
KW - older adults
KW - China
KW - behavioral response
KW - mental response
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1911-8074/14/12?listby=date&view=default§ion_id=751
U2 - 10.3390/jrfm14120568
DO - 10.3390/jrfm14120568
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1911-8066
VL - 14
JO - Journal of Risk and Financial Management
JF - Journal of Risk and Financial Management
IS - 12
M1 - 568
ER -
