Relationships between physical activity, social isolation, and depression among older adults during COVID-19: A path analysis.
Lee Anne Siegmund, Karen S Distelhorst, James F Bena and 1 others
PMID 34507833WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults who reported more social isolation had more depression, and less physical activity was also linked to depression.
Isolation had the stronger association. This was a survey, so it shows links, not that activity or contact reduced depression.
Key findings
01Greater social isolation was associated with more depression, and this association was stronger than the one for physical activity.
02Lower physical activity was also associated with more depression, but the effect was small; social isolation was linked to lower physical activity too.
03Social isolation and physical activity together explained 44% of the variation in depression scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample came from one health system and required English reading and computer access, so it may not represent older adults without these resources. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that social isolation or low activity caused depression, or that changing them would improve depression. All measures were self-reported, and the study did not screen for cognitive impairment. Many invitations did not produce usable responses, and 326 incomplete surveys were removed. The participants had low average depression scores, so the sample may not reflect older adults with clinically significant depression.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing physical activity or reducing social isolation will lower depression. This was a cross-sectional survey of older adults at one time, so it showed associations, not a treatment effect.