TLDR
After a year of restrictions, many older adults felt lonelier, slept worse, and exercised less. However, many also exercised more, ate better, or drank less, showing that support should target people most affected.
Summary
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1 Study Aim
The study aimed to describe changes in eight modifiable brain-health factors (changeable habits and conditions linked with brain health) after one year of COVID-19 restrictions. It also examined whether personal characteristics, subjective memory complaints (personally noticed memory problems), and COVID-19 experiences were linked with harmful or helpful changes. The authors intended these results to guide targeted health education and prevention. The study examined how restrictions changed older adults’ daily habits and which people experienced the greatest difficulties.
2 Study Design
The authors conducted a population-based cross-sectional study (a one-time assessment) using an online survey. They invited 17,773 Dutch Brain Research Registry members aged 50 or older without self-reported mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Of these, 3,943 participants completed the survey in February or March 2021. Questions covered physical activity, sleep, memory decline, stress, loneliness, diet, alcohol, and smoking. Researchers counted harmful and helpful changes and used negative binomial regression (a method for analyzing counts) to test related characteristics. They also assessed the LIBRA score (LIfestyle for BRAin health, a measure of modifiable dementia-risk factors) in 1,984 participants. Responses were self-reported and retrospective. The survey provided a large snapshot of reported habit changes during the pandemic.
3 Findings
The study found that 72.3% of participants reported at least one harmful change, while 60.5% reported at least one helpful change. Loneliness, sleep problems, and reduced physical activity were the most common harmful changes. Increased physical activity, healthier eating, and reduced alcohol use were the most common helpful changes. Younger participants, women, people living alone or in cities, and those less satisfied with income reported more harmful changes. Subjective memory complaints, past or current infection, and fear of infection showed similar associations. Participants with higher LIBRA scores also reported more harmful changes. The authors recommend targeted education, lifestyle support, and monitoring during restrictions. They caution that the volunteer sample was mainly female and highly educated. Restrictions affected habits in both directions, but support should prioritize people reporting more difficulties.