Abstract
Objective
to identify factors associated to coping with the COVID-19 pandemic by older adults with and without comorbidities.
Method
a descriptive, cross-sectional study with older adults (n=569), aged between 60 and 80 years old, with or without comorbidities, in the five Brazilian regions. Data collection with virtual questionnaire and analysis based on descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results
the results show that 351 (61.68%) refer to comorbidity. There was a significant association between the groups in the following variables: age group (p=0.017), performing some work activity (p≤0.001), thinking about the possibility of being infected by the new coronavirus (p≤0.001), agreeing with prevention measures adopted for social distancing (p≤0.001), informing yourself by other means of communication besides television (p≤0.001).
Conclusion and implications for the practice
the older adults with comorbidities think about the possibility of being infected by the new coronavirus, agree more with the social distancing measures and get more information. To such an effect, it is recommended to carry out research studies with an emphasis on the older adult without comorbidity, to better target health care in pandemic times.
Keywords:
Aged; Pandemics; Coronavirus infections; Cross-sectional; Social distancing