The impact of physical activity on physical and mental health of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Physical activity plays an important role in the daily life of persons of all age groups offering multiple benefits, since it can positively affect their health and contribute to the maintenance and promotion of their quality of life. This perception is even more strongly reflected with age, as it has been recorded in numerous studies that older people who enhance their physical condition with various activities of low or moderate intensity have the ability to remain independent, to limit any dysfunctions that appear over the years, to promote their well-being and enjoy quality years of life. Factors such as comorbidity and disabilities, on the one hand and self-esteem, and self -efficacy on the other hand, influence the causal relationship between physical activity and quality of life of older adults. Although the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have diminished, it is imperative to plan, design and implement strategies by the wider environment (family, community, networks), in order to encourage the older adults' population to be reinvolved in physical activity which has dramatically decreased because of the restrictive measures.