Worries, Strategies and Confidence of Older Chinese Adults During the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak.

Objectives Since the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak started in late 2019, the older population has accounted for a large proportion of severe and fatal cases. This study investigated the mental state and attitudes of older Chinese adults during this epidemic. Design Cross-sectional online surveys on a convenience sample of China's general population at two different time points. Online surveys were disseminated through popular Chinese social media applications. Adults 18 or older living in China during the initial (N = 1148) and second stages (N=470) were included in the survey. The Worries, Strategies, and Confidence Questionnaire (WSQ) was created to assess worries and awareness of the disease. Results Combined responses (N=1618), 76.1% were female and about 7.0% were 60 years or above. In the first wave, older adults were found less likely to worry about being infected by COVID-19 (p Conclusions During the epidemic of COVID-19, watchfulness of the epidemic among older Chinese adults fluctuated over time. Initially they were slow to respond proactively, but their worries gradually increased. Health care and social service professionals need to address the vulnerabilities of older adults to this public health crisis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.