Abstract
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health restrictions substantially affected the daily lives of older adults. However, the extent to which individual lifestyle components changed and subsequently recovered remains insufficiently documented. This study aimed to compare selected lifestyle factors among adults aged 65 years and older in the Czech Republic and Spain before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the lockdown and at present.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 372 adults aged 65 years and older (212 from the Czech Republic and 160 from Spain). Data were collected between March and October 2022 using a non-standardized questionnaire assessing physical activity, quality of movement, eating habits, drinking regime, alcohol consumption, sedentary behaviour and self-reported body weight across three time periods. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, independent-samples t-test, repeated-measures ANOVA with Scheffé’s post hoc test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results:
Physical activity and perceived quality of movement declined significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown in both countries, with more pronounced changes among Spanish respondents. Sedentary behaviour also increased markedly during the lockdown. In contrast, eating habits, drinking regime and self-reported body weight remained relatively stable throughout the study period. Following the lifting of restrictions, most lifestyle indicators gradually returned towards their pre-pandemic levels.
Conclusions:
The COVID-19 pandemic affected individual lifestyle components to different degrees. Movement-related behaviours were the most strongly affected, whereas established nutritional habits proved comparatively resilient. These findings highlight the importance of supporting regular physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour during future public health emergencies while strengthening lifestyle resilience among older adults.
