IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE PRODUCTION OF ARTICLES WITH OLDER INDIVIDUALS: HOW WAS THE FIELD OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AFFECTED?

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the production of Physical Education articles involving older individuals. In this bibliometric study, 558 researchers of Physical Education graduate programs in Brazil were evaluated between 2018 and 2022. Only articles targeting older individuals were included. The articles were analyzed based on Qualis ranking and the journals’ impact factors. Out of a total of 17,932 manuscripts, 969 involved older individuals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decline in the number of articles published with older adults (P = 0.001), accompanied by a worsening of Qualis ranking (P = 0.001). The COVID-19 pandemic, differently, did not affect the impact factor of the journals (P = 0.426). The findings highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the production of articles with older individuals, reinforcing the need for funding agencies to consider this aspect before evaluating researchers and programs.

Keywords
COVID-19; Bibliometric Indicators; Aged; Physical Education and Training