Fear of contamination among older adults in the post-COVID-19 era.
Eman Alhalal, Zainab Alkhair, Fatimah Alghazal and 2 others
PMID 36095886WHAT IT FOUND
77.9% of older adults with chronic diseases in Saudi Arabia reported high fear of contamination.
Fear was linked to lower well-being and fewer primary healthcare visits. The links varied with daily functioning and number of chronic illnesses.
Key findings
0177.9% of participants scored at or above the threshold for high contamination fear.
02Contamination fear was negatively associated with well-being and with primary healthcare visits.
03The links between contamination fear and well-being or healthcare visits varied with daily functioning and number of chronic illnesses.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample of older adults attending primary healthcare centers in Saudi Arabia, so the findings may not apply to other countries or settings. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that contamination fear caused lower well-being or fewer visits. Most participants were women because data were collected mainly in the female section of the centers. Some answers were missing, were not completely random, and were estimated by the researchers.
Declared interests
Funding came from King Saud University research centres. The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing contamination fear will improve well-being or healthcare visits. The study was cross-sectional and measured associations only, so it cannot show that fear caused lower well-being or fewer visits.