Self-rated Changes of Health Status during Stay-at-home Orders among Older Adults Using the Long-term Care Insurance System of Japan: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

To reveal self-rated changes of health status during stay-at-home orders among older adults and to verify whether decrease in frequency of going outdoors during these orders was related to self-rated changes in health status. Method: A self-completed questionnaire for older adults was provided in 2 dayservice facilities and a nursing station. We operationally defined health status with 4 domains (motor function, oral and swallowing function, depression, and social networks) and designed the questionnaire to determine self-rated changes in health status using factor analysis. After factor analysis, regression analyses were conducted. Dependent variable was each factor score (self-rated changes of health status), and independent variable was decrease in frequency of going outdoors. Results: Approximately 80% of participants answered that their health status had "worsened" in motor function (75.0%-87.2%). Moreover, more than 70% of participants answered "worsened" in "Feeling energy" and "Getting together and speaking with friends" (72.3% and 75.7%, respectively). Regression analyses demonstrated that, after adjusting for covariates, the decrease in frequency of going outdoors was related to self-rated changes of motor function and friend network. Conclusion: During stay-at-home orders, older adults felt deterioration in their motor function, in feeling energy, and in their friend network, especially people who had decreased their frequency of going outdoors felt more deterioration in their motor function and in their friend network.

Change in long‐term care service usage in Japan following the COVID‐19 pandemic: A survey using a nationwide statistical summary in 2018–2021

“… 5 However, prolonged social restrictions are concerning owing to their negative impact on mental and physical health. 6 , 7 Previous studies have reported the unfavorable consequences of the pandemic, 8 such as a decline in physical activity 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 due to the elderly refraining from going out, and increased social isolation 13 due to decreased opportunities for face‐to‐face connections with relatives and friends, restricted family visits at long‐term care (LTC) facilities, or the isolation of residents in their private rooms. 14 , 15 , 16 Moreover, the pandemic also resulted in increased anxiety and depression during social isolation, 8 loneliness, 17 and decreased well‐being.…”

Change in the trend of long-term care service usage following COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: a survey using nationwide statistical summary in 2018-2021

“…Previous studies have reported several kinds of unfavorable consequences of the pandemic [Loyola 2020], such as a decline in physical activity [Tison 2020; Suzuki 2020; Yamada 2020; Ono 2021] due to refraining from going out, increased social isolation [Sugaya 2021] (e.g., decreased opportunities to connect face-to-face with relatives and friends, restricted family visits at long-term care facilities, or isolation of residents in their private rooms [Chu 2020; Wang 2020; Bethel 2021]), increased anxiety and depression during social isolation [Loyola 2020], loneliness [Salman 2021], or the decreased well-being ]. The loneliness, social isolation, and decreased social participation are in general associated with the risk of dementia and cognitive deterioration [Ross 2018; Lara 2019; Sundstrom 2019], and indeed serial cognitive deterioration due to social isolation [Noguchi 2021] or a decline in cognitive fitness during the period when the nationwide state of emergency (SoE) had been declared [Makizako 2021] were reported so far.…”