Central and Eastern European populations are entering a period of rapid aging. Older people are experiencing numerous problems associated with deteriorating health and functional limitations, creating pressure for adequate response from the state’s health and social policy. The article is based on information collected in the two international projects: CEQUA LTC Network and Pro-Health 65+ and its goal is to review policies on healthy and active aging formulated in recent decades in three countries: Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Poland. The health promotion programs in these countries are aimed at improving the health and well-being of the population, referring to the concept of healthy aging in relation to health risks, prevention of chronic diseases and disability in old age. At the same time, in the social sector, strategies and programs were brought to life referring to the concept of active aging, underlying the need for participation of older people in social life, creation of an elderly friendly environment and development of services supporting older people. Implementation of these policies and programmes is affected by limited financial resources, low awareness of the problems of the older population in local communities, and lack of local resources to create the appropriate infrastructure. The effectiveness of programs’ implementation is also influenced by the sectoral nature of programmes and poor intersectoral cooperation.

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INTRODUCTION. In Poland, like in many other countries, guidelines and certain restrictions were introduced in order to reduce the impact of the pandemic and curb the spread of the virus. These related to such behaviours as washing and disinfecting hands, wearing face masks in designated places, keeping social distance and frequently ventilating rooms. However, not all people follow the guidelines, which can lead to both health and social ramifications. The key objective of this study was an in-depth analysis of how safety rules (SR) were complied with in Poland during the initial pandemic period before the vaccines were rolled out, as well as determining factors that could affect the compliance with SR. METHODS. The study was conducted in the form of a series of cross-sectional surveys using the CATI method on a representative Polish sample in 8 rounds of interviews. Random sampling was applied. The first round was carried out from 2 to 6 July 2020, the last from 17 to 21 August 2020. The authors’ original survey questionnaire was used. Factors affecting the compliance with SR were analysed using the multivariate logistic regression method on a combined group of participants from all the study rounds. RESULTS. In total, 4,800 subjects participated in the study, of which 2,512 were women (52.3%) and 2,288 were men (47.7%). Compliance with guidelines was defined based on four survey questions relating to: disinfecting hands when not at home, not touching items with bare hands when not at home, wearing face masks or covering mouth and nose, as well as washing hands after coming back home. Two affirmative answers to these questions or wearing a face mask alone (covering mouth and nose) were interpreted as compliance with SR. SR were more frequently followed by women OR=1.234 95% CI (0.988-1.543), persons over the age of 65 OR=2.098 95% CI (1.409-3.122), people with university education OR=1.315 95% CI (0.950-1.820) and residents of large cities OR=2.179 95% CI (1.382-3.437). Factors that supported compliance with SR were older age, fear of contracting COVID-19 and knowledge of SR. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. During the first wave of the pandemic, the SR compliance level was high. Nevertheless, the study identified social groups with a higher risk of non-compliance. This indicates a need for properly addressing communication to these groups, especially that, as was demonstrated, the knowledge alone of pandemic-related messages significantly increased the likelihood of following SR and restrictions. The study of infection-preventing behaviours and their context may provide essential information to guide public policies and communication strategies that would support these behaviours in order to control the spread of the virus more effectively.

The outbreak of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic in Poland was an important factor influencing consumption behaviour in 2020. When presenting the estimates of the social minimum, it was pointed out that the research conducted in 2020 took into account how needs were met under typical conditions. Circumstances brought by the coronavirus pandemic were not taken into account. The results of the CSO survey on household budgets for 2020 were released in September 2021. Compared to 2019, total household expenditure in 2020 fell by 3.4%. However, in poorer households they were higher than in 2019: in the 1st quintile in 2020 they increased by 5.7% (in the 1st decile by 15%). The lower expenditures compared to 2019 occurred in households with higher incomes (e.g. 2nd and 3rd quintile of the income distribution), where there was "room" to cut expenditures while adapting to pandemic conditions. Poorer households had to make the necessary expenditure to adapt to the new situation, with no room for savings in other budget areas. On the basis of these data and additional calculations by the Central Statistical Office, IPiSS prepared adjustments to the values of the social minimum.

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