ECDP 2025

Relationships Between Health Status, Pandemic Fear, and Physical Activity in Turkish Older Adults

Asil Ali Özdoğru, Mehmet Furkan Talha Çakal, and Turgay Altunalan

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), which emerged in 2019 and quickly became a global pandemic, has caused emotional and behavioral changes in older adults due to its high infectiousness and mortality risk. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the levels of physical activity, health status, and fear of pandemic among Turkish older adults during the COVID-19 period. Using a quantitative cross-sectional study design, data were collected from 201 participants, of whom 45% were women, with a mean age of 69.76 (SD = 8.05). Participants completed an online survey consisting of demographic questions and Turkish versions of Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. Data collection took place from July to December 2021, while there were no restrictions on leaving house or public transportation for people aged 65 and over in Türkiye. The analyses showed that the level of physical activity in older adults was associated with certain demographic variables such as age, place of residence, and employment status. While there was a statistically significant negative correlation between the participants' health status and fear of the pandemic, the level of physical activity was positively correlated with fear of the pandemic and negatively correlated with health status. Among the participants with low levels of fear, those with higher health status had significantly higher levels of physical activity than those with lower health status. The same difference was not observed among the participants with high levels of fear. The findings of the study show the importance of physical health as well as the affective states in shaping the physical activity participation among older adults.

Citation: Özdoğru, A. A., Çakal, M. F. T., & Altunalan, T. (2025, August 25-29). Relationships between health status, pandemic fear, and physical activity in Turkish older adults [Poster presentation]. 22nd European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Vilnius, Lithuania. https://www.ecdp2025vilnius.eu