Perceived fear of COVID-19 and its associated factors among Nepalese older adults in eastern Nepal: A cross-sectional study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 7; p. e0254825
• Main Authors: Yadav, Uday Narayan, Yadav, Om Prakash, Singh, Devendra Raj, Ghimire, Saruna, Rayamajhee, Binod, Kanti Mistry, Sabuj, Rawal, Lal Bahadur, Ali, ARM Mehrab, Kumar Tamang, Man, Mehta, Suresh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 26.07.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adults; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; At risk populations; Biology and Life Sciences; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease susceptibility; Evaluation; Fear; Fear - psychology; Female; Health aspects; Health care facilities; Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Marginalized groups; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Nepal - epidemiology; Older people; Pandemics; People and Places; SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity; Social Sciences; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Viral diseases; Viruses; Nepal; Sydney New South Wales Australia; Bangladesh; Australia
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254825

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected all age groups worldwide, but older adults have been affected greatly with an increased risk of severe illness and mortality. Nepal is struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. The normal life of older adults, one of the vulnerable populations to COVID-19 infection, has been primarily impacted. The current evidence shows that the COVID-19 virus strains are deadly, and non-compliance to standard protocols can have serious consequences, increasing fear among older adults. This study assessed the perceived fear of COVID-19 and associated factors among older adults in eastern Nepal. A cross-sectional study was conducted between July and September 2020 among 847 older adults (≥60 years) residing in three districts of eastern Nepal. Perceived fear of COVID-19 was measured using the seven-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Multivariate logistic regression identified the factors associated with COVID-19 fear. The mean score of the FCV-19S was 18.1 (SD = 5.2), and a sizeable proportion of older adults, ranging between 12%-34%, agreed with the seven items of the fear scale. Increasing age, Dalit ethnicity, remoteness to the health facility, and being concerned or overwhelmed with the COVID-19 were associated with greater fear of COVID-19. In contrast, preexisting health conditions were inversely associated with fear. Greater fear of the COVID-19 among the older adults in eastern Nepal suggests that during unprecedented times such as the current pandemic, the psychological needs of older adults should be prioritized. Establishing and integrating community-level mental health support as a part of the COVID-19 preparedness and response plan might help to combat COVID-19 fear among them.