Health Service Accessibility, Mental Health, and Changes in Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Older Adults

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-04, Vol.19 (7), p.4277
• Main Authors: von Humboldt, Sofia, Low, Gail, Leal, Isabel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access; Adults; Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Behavior modification; Content analysis; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Disease transmission; Eating behavior; Emotional behavior; Explosions; Health behavior; Health care; Health care access; Health care industry; Health Services; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Medicine; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Mental health services; Mortality; Older people; Pandemics; Psychological distress; Public health; Qualitative research; Response rates; Signs and symptoms; Social distancing; Social interaction; Substance abuse; Trauma; Well being
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074277

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the access of older adults to health services. The two objectives of this study are understanding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults' access to health services and exploring how health service accessibility during the pandemic influenced older adults' mental health and self-reported changes in behavior. This study included 346 older adults. Content analysis produced five themes: (1) decreased physical accessibility to health care providers (78%); (2) increased use of online health services and other virtual health care (69%); (3) growth in the online prescription of medication (67%); (4) difficulty obtaining information and accessing non-communicable disease and mental health indicators (65%); and (5) postponement of medical specialist consultations (51%). Regarding mental health, three themes emerged: (1) increased symptoms of anxiety, distress, and depression (89%); (2) the experience of traumatic situations (61%); and (3) the augmented use of alcohol or drugs (56%). Finally, the following changes in behavior were indicated: (1) frustrated behavior (92%); (2) emotional explosions (79%); and (3) changes in sleeping and eating behaviors (43%). Access to health services may have influenced the mental health and behavior of older adults, hence interventions in a pandemic must address their interactions with health services, their needs, and their well-being.