Relationship Between COVID-19-related Anxiety and Changes in Lifestyle Behaviors Among Older Adults in Iran

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 caused significant changes in the lifestyle of older adults and developed psychological disorders such as anxiety. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between anxiety caused by COVID-19 and changes in the lifestyle behaviors of older adults in Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-correlational study with a cross-sectional design was conducted on 265 older adults covered by the comprehensive health service centers in Zanjan, Iran in 2022. They were selected using a convenience sampling method from among randomly selected comprehensive health centers. Data was collected using a demographic form, Bernardo’s coronavirus pandemic anxiety scale, and Kumari’s lifestyle-related behavior change scale. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, Mean±SD) were used to describe the data. Pearson’s correlation test was utilized to examine the relationship between the study variables in SPSS software, version 16. Results: All participants had severe anxiety (Mean total score: 22.23+3.47). The mean score for the non-somatic symptoms of anxiety (11.55+2.34) was higher than that of somatic symptoms (10.67+1.94). The mean score of changes in lifestyle behaviors indicated the occurrence of more unfavorable changes (-2.38±7.13). A negative and significant correlation was found between COVID-19-related anxiety and lifestyle behavior changes among older adults (P