PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique possibility to broaden the understanding of people\'s reactions to a global crisis. Early on, it became evident that older adults were particularly vulnerable to the virus and that the actions of this age group would be crucial to the outcome. This qualitative interview study uses the Health Belief Model (HBM) framework as an analytical tool to examine older people\'s experiences of adherence to recommendations during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to view this study in the context of Sweden\'s voluntary restrictions, which further highlight the unique nature of this research.
METHODS: In April-May 2020, 41 adults aged 70-85 participated in unstructured phone interviews. The objective was to investigate older adults\' perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly their understanding of the disease and the conditions that influenced their adherence to health recommendations. HBM was used as an analytical framework to guide the analysis of the interviews.
RESULTS: Despite perceiving COVID-19 as a severe threat to health and society, participants did not let fear dominate their responses. Instead, they demonstrated remarkable resilience and a proactive approach. For some, the perceived susceptibility to the disease was the primary motivator for adherence to the Swedish national recommendations. Notably, trust in the authorities and family members\' requests significantly bolstered adherence. Moreover, adherence was found to contribute to feelings of safety. Conversely, potential barriers to adhering to recommendations included missing loved ones and frustration with sometimes ambiguous information from authorities.
CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study indicate that older adults are willing to adhere to voluntary restrictions during a global pandemic. Relatives of older people are a resource for communicating information regarding safety and health messages, a message that is preferably thorough and consistent. Further, much can be gained if loneliness during isolation can be mitigated since missing loved ones appears to be a potential barrier to adherence.
METHODS: In April-May 2020, 41 adults aged 70-85 participated in unstructured phone interviews. The objective was to investigate older adults\' perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly their understanding of the disease and the conditions that influenced their adherence to health recommendations. HBM was used as an analytical framework to guide the analysis of the interviews.
RESULTS: Despite perceiving COVID-19 as a severe threat to health and society, participants did not let fear dominate their responses. Instead, they demonstrated remarkable resilience and a proactive approach. For some, the perceived susceptibility to the disease was the primary motivator for adherence to the Swedish national recommendations. Notably, trust in the authorities and family members\' requests significantly bolstered adherence. Moreover, adherence was found to contribute to feelings of safety. Conversely, potential barriers to adhering to recommendations included missing loved ones and frustration with sometimes ambiguous information from authorities.
CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study indicate that older adults are willing to adhere to voluntary restrictions during a global pandemic. Relatives of older people are a resource for communicating information regarding safety and health messages, a message that is preferably thorough and consistent. Further, much can be gained if loneliness during isolation can be mitigated since missing loved ones appears to be a potential barrier to adherence.
摘要：
背景：COVID-19大流行为扩大人们对全球危机反应的理解提供了独特的可能性。早期,很明显，老年人特别容易感染病毒，这个年龄段的人的行为对结果至关重要。这项定性访谈研究使用健康信念模型（HBM）框架作为分析工具，以检查老年人在COVID-19大流行初期遵守建议的经历。重要的是要在瑞典的自愿限制的背景下看待这项研究，这进一步凸显了本研究的独特性。
方法：2020年4月至5月，41名70-85岁的成年人参加了非结构化电话访谈。目的是调查老年人对COVID-19大流行的看法，特别是他们对疾病的理解和影响他们坚持健康建议的条件。HBM被用作分析框架来指导访谈的分析。
结果：尽管认为COVID-19对健康和社会构成严重威胁，参与者没有让恐惧主导他们的反应。相反，他们表现出非凡的韧性和积极主动的态度。对一些人来说,认为对该疾病的易感性是坚持瑞典国家建议的主要动机.值得注意的是,对当局和家庭成员的信任要求大大加强了依从性。此外，发现坚持有助于安全感。相反，坚持建议的潜在障碍包括缺少亲人和对当局有时含糊不清的信息感到沮丧。
结论：这项研究的结果表明，在全球大流行期间，老年人愿意遵守自愿限制。老年人的亲属是传达有关安全和健康信息的资源，最好是彻底和一致的信息。Further,如果可以减轻隔离期间的孤独感，可以获得很多好处，因为失去亲人似乎是坚持的潜在障碍。
方法：2020年4月至5月，41名70-85岁的成年人参加了非结构化电话访谈。目的是调查老年人对COVID-19大流行的看法，特别是他们对疾病的理解和影响他们坚持健康建议的条件。HBM被用作分析框架来指导访谈的分析。
结果：尽管认为COVID-19对健康和社会构成严重威胁，参与者没有让恐惧主导他们的反应。相反，他们表现出非凡的韧性和积极主动的态度。对一些人来说,认为对该疾病的易感性是坚持瑞典国家建议的主要动机.值得注意的是,对当局和家庭成员的信任要求大大加强了依从性。此外，发现坚持有助于安全感。相反，坚持建议的潜在障碍包括缺少亲人和对当局有时含糊不清的信息感到沮丧。
结论：这项研究的结果表明，在全球大流行期间，老年人愿意遵守自愿限制。老年人的亲属是传达有关安全和健康信息的资源，最好是彻底和一致的信息。Further,如果可以减轻隔离期间的孤独感，可以获得很多好处，因为失去亲人似乎是坚持的潜在障碍。
