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Everyday Social Support for Health Behaviours in Older Adults during Times of Challenge: Evidence from Daily Life Assessments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2024

Elizabeth Zambrano Garza Open the ORCID record for Elizabeth Zambrano Garza [Opens in a new window] ,
Theresa Pauly Open the ORCID record for Theresa Pauly [Opens in a new window] ,
Yoonseok Choi ,
Rachel A. Murphy ,
Wolfgang Linden ,
Maureen C. Ashe Open the ORCID record for Maureen C. Ashe [Opens in a new window] ,
Kenneth M. Madden ,
Jennifer M. Jakobi ,
Denis Gerstorf  and
Christiane A. Hoppmann
Elizabeth Zambrano Garza
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Theresa Pauly
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
Yoonseok Choi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Rachel A. Murphy
Affiliation:
School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer, Vancouver, Canada
Wolfgang Linden
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Maureen C. Ashe
Affiliation:
Department of Family Practice, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Kenneth M. Madden
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Jennifer M. Jakobi
Affiliation:
School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Canada
Denis Gerstorf
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Christiane A. Hoppmann*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
*
Corresponding author: Christiane Hoppmann, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged older adults’ health behaviours, making it even more difficult to engage in healthy diets and physical activity than it had been prepandemic. A resource to promote these could be social support. This study uses data from 136 older adults (Mage = 71.39 years, SD = 5.15, range: 63–87) who reported their daily fruit and vegetable consumption, steps, and health-behaviour-specific support from a close other every evening for up to 10 consecutive days. Findings show that on days when participants reported more emotional support than usual, fruit and vegetable consumption and step counts were higher. Daily instrumental support was positively associated with step counts, only. Participants receiving more overall emotional support across the study period consumed more fruit and vegetables; no parallel person-level association was found for overall steps. There were no significant interactions between dyad type and support links for our outcomes.

Résumé

Résumé

La pandémie de COVID-19 a perturbé les habitudes des personnes âgées, et entraîné pour eux plus de difficultés qu’auparavant à adhérer à un régime alimentaire sain et à des activités physiques. Le soutien social peut être une ressource pour promouvoir ces habitudes de vie. Cette étude puise dans les données recueillies auprès de 136 personnes âgées (âge moyen = 71,39 ans, écart-type = 5,15; fourchette = 63–87 ans), qui ont rendu compte chaque soir jusqu’à dix jours consécutifs de leur consommation de fruits et de légumes, de leur nombre de pas et du soutien à leurs habitudes de vie saine qu’ils ont reçu de la part d’un proche. Les résultats montrent que les jours où les participants ont déclaré avoir reçu davantage de soutien affectif que d’habitude, leur consommation de fruits et légumes et leur nombre de pas étaient plus élevés. Le soutien instrumental quotidien était seulement associé à de plus grands nombres de pas. Les participants qui ont reçu davantage de soutien affectif tout au long de la période de l’étude ont consommé davantage de fruits et légumes; aucune association parallèle n’a été établie à l’échelle personnelle pour le nombre de pas total. Nos résultats n’ont révélé aucune interaction significative entre le type de dyade et les liens de soutien.

Keywords

social supportCOVID-19pandemicnutritionagingphysical activitysoutien socialCOVID-19pandémienutritionvieillissementactivité physique
Type
Article
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Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , First View , pp. 1 - 10
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© Canadian Association on Gerontology 2024

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