Health care seeking due to Covid-19 related symptoms and health care cancellations among older Brazilian adults

The Elsi-Covid-19 initiative

Bibliographic Data

ID5168855
AuthorsJames Macinko (0000-0001-8055-5441, University of California System), Natalia Oliveira Woolley (0000-0002-3780-7006, University of California System), Brayan Viegas Seixas (0000-0002-3863-0572, University of California System), Fabiola Bof De Andrade (0000-0002-3467-3989, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), Maria Fernanda Furtado Lima-Costa (0000-0002-3474-2980, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil; Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil)
Year2020
Volume36
Issuesuppl 3
Pagese00181920-e00181920
Publication date2020-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCadernos de Saude Publica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0102-311X • E-ISSN: 1678-4464
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/0102-311x00181920
PMID33053060
OpenAlexW3092535632
SciELOS0102-311X2020001505001
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited13

The continent of the Americas has the greatest number of people infected and deaths associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the world. Brazil occupies the 2nd position in numbers of infected cases and deaths, preceded only by the United States. Older adults and those with pre-existing chronic illnesses are more vulnerable to the consequences of the virus. The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has serious consequences for health services. Therefore, an assessment of the pandemic's effect on the older Brazilian population is urgently needed. The study examines the prevalence of COVID-19 related symptoms, care-seeking, and cancellation of surgery or other scheduled medical care among a nationally representative sample of Brazilians aged 50 and over derived from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) and a telephone follow-up survey (the ELSI-COVID-19 initiative) between late May and early June 2020. About 10.4% of older adults reported any fever, dry cough or difficulty breathing in the 30 days prior to the interview, with the highest prevalence in the North region (50%). Among individuals with symptoms, only 33.6% sought care. Individuals living in the South or Southeast regions were significantly less likely to seek care for COVID-19 related symptoms. Nearly one in six participants had to cancel scheduled surgery or other medical care; this proportion was higher among women, those with more education, and people with multiple chronic conditions. This paper is among the first to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on health care use in Brazil among older adults. Results highlight the need to adapt health care delivery (such as through telemedicine) to ensure the continuity of care as well as the urgent need for wide dissemination of information to guide the population on disease prevention measures and how to obtain healthcare when needed

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Health care · Outbreak · Political science · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life · Medicine · Psychology · Virology · Gerontology

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