Implicações da pandemia COVID-19 na prática de atividades físicas em idosos do Programa de Atenção Integral à Saúde do Idoso (PAISI)

Abstract

The year 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the virus detected in China in 2019 was called SARS-CoV-2. From the measures of social distancing to contain the virus, there was a tendency for physical activity practices to be changed. With the change in everyone's routine, due to social distance, there was a change in physical activities that cannot be practiced in public and private spaces. This social distancing can favor the appearance of psychosocial illnesses, in addition to aggravating physical problems due to lack of physical activities. After the measures of social distancing, there was a reduction in the practice of physical activities, which was even greater for people from risk groups. Human aging is faced in different ways, depending on the societies and culture of each people. The human aging process cannot be changed, but this is influenced by physical inactivity. The practice of physical activity in old age is a determining factor for the maintenance of health and functional independence. Through quantitative research of descriptive statistical nature through the application of an online questionnaire, prepared on the Google Forms platform containing 10 questions that sought to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the physical activity practices of the elderly in the comprehensive care program for the health of the elderly, as well as the impact caused by the social distancing caused by the new coronavirus pandemic caused in the performance of these activities during the period of social isolation, required by the COVID-19 pandemic. We contacted the elderly via WhatsApp, explained the research objectives, where 10 of them agreed to answer the questionnaire. As a result, we found that the pandemic had an impact on the physical activity practices of the elderly in the Comprehensive Elderly Health Care Program and that the participants changed their habits considerably during this period. We must reflect on the possibilities of seeking new strategies and reorganizing physical activities. Technologies can be great allies in providing social support networks.