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

Sofia von Humboldt, Gail Low and Isabel Leal
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Sofia von Humboldt: William James Center for Research, ISPA—Instituto Universitário, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal
Gail Low: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Isabel Leal: William James Center for Research, ISPA—Instituto Universitário, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: access to health services; changes in behavior; health service accessibility; mental health; older adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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