Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 4;12(23):2442.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12232442.

Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Elderly Mobility and Emergency SOS Alarm Responses: A GPS-Based Study in the Czech Republic

Vít Janovský  1   2 , Marek Maška  1 , Karel Hána  1   2
Affiliations

Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Elderly Mobility and Emergency SOS Alarm Responses: A GPS-Based Study in the Czech Republic

Vít Janovský et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Understanding the impact of pandemic measures on elderly mobility is crucial for shaping public health responses. This retrospective study assesses the changes in mobility of 216 elderly individuals (average age 84 years) in the Czech Republic before and during COVID-19 restrictions, using two years of GPS tracking data.

Methods: We conducted statistical analyses across various physical, demographic, and social factors. Data were analyzed for mobility patterns, SOS alarm usage, and relationships between mobility and factors such as age group, body mass index, sex, city size, and housing type.

Results: During the study, 4409 SOS alarms were triggered, with only 16.6% requiring action. Alarms triggered outside the home decreased from 34% pre-COVID-19 to 29% during COVID-19, reflecting reduced outdoor activity. Mobility decreased by 43.9% overall during the pandemic. The largest year-on-year decline in mobility was in May, reaching 57.6%. However, 10% of the participants exhibited increased mobility. Factors such as age group, body mass index, sex, city size, and type of housing were analyzed, and we found that city size and housing type did not significantly influence mobility levels.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the substantial decline in elderly mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasize the need for tailored interventions, such as outdoor mobility programs and telemedicine, to support elderly populations during public health crises.

Keywords: GPS tracking; elderly SOS alarms; mobility; pandemic (COVID-19).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The participant selection process for the final dataset.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Data processing workflow.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Graph displaying the mobility of all groups before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The x axis indicates time in one-month intervals, while the y axis represents mobility in kilometers.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Monthly mobility trends by gender in pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods. The x axis indicates time in one-month intervals, while the y axis represents mobility in kilometers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eurofound . COVID-19 and Older People: Impact on Their Lives, Support and Care. Publications Office of the European Union; Luxembourg: 2022. p. S. 83. - DOI
    1. Puccinelli P.J., da Costa T.S., Seffrin A., de Lira C.A.B., Vancini R.L., Nikolaidis P.T., Knechtle B., Rosemann T., Hill L., Andrade M.S. Reduced level of physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic is associated with depression and anxiety levels: An internet-based survey: An internet-based survey. BMC Public Health. 2021;21:425. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10470-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ammar A., Brach M., Trabelsi K., Chtourou H., Boukhris O., Masmoudi L., Bouaziz B., Bentlage E., How D., Ahmed M., et al. Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement on Eating Behaviour and Physical Activity: Results of the ECLB-COVID19 International Online Survey. Nutrients. 2020;12:1583. doi: 10.3390/nu12061583. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Portegijs E., Saajanaho M., Leppä H., Koivunen K., Eronen J., Rantanen T. Impact of mobility restrictions on active aging; cross-sectional associations and longitudinal changes parallel to COVID-19 restrictions. Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 2022;98:104522. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2021.104522. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Li C.I., Liu C.S., Lin C.H., Yang S.Y., Li T.C., Lin C.C. Independent and joint associations of skeletal muscle mass and physical performance with all-cause mortality among older adults: A 12-year prospective cohort study. BMC Geriatr. 2022;22:597. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03292-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources