National Social Life, Health & Aging COVID-19 Study

A diverse group of seniors practice martial arts in their local park.

Problem

The pandemic’ impact on older adults’ physical, mental, and social health was unknown.

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unprecedented period in recent history characterized by the rapid spreading of the virus, grave concern for public safety, and the implementation of guidelines for social distancing and other precautions. Early in the pandemic, older adults were at substantially increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19. However, little was known about how the pandemic was affecting older adults’ physical, mental, and social health in the short-term, whether these adverse impacts were heightened among sub-populations (e.g., among those with cognitive decline), and whether resilience or other individual characteristics might reduce the ill-effects of the pandemic.

Solution

NORC conducted an entirely remote study of the effects of the pandemic on the health and well-being of U.S. older adults.

With support from the National Institute of Aging as an administrative supplement to the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), NORC fielded the NSHAP COVID-19 Study from September 2020 through January 2021, yielding responses from 2,672 older adults. This was the first time the NSHAP sample was surveyed solely through remote means, including web, phone, and paper-and-pencil modes of participation. Our remote methods permitted the safe collection of timely health survey data in the early phases of the pandemic when vaccinations were not yet available to the public.

Result

This study provided foundational knowledge of the pandemic’s impact that will expand in years to come.

The success of the COVID-19 remote survey methodology paved the way for an evolved model of data collection for NSHAP Round 4, in which half of surveys were conducted via the internet or phone. Furthermore, in the first two years since the COVID-19 data were collected, the study has already produced new knowledge described in various peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. With three Rounds of NSHAP data collection preceding the COVID-19 Study and the fourth Round recently completed, opportunities for additional longitudinal analysis are countless. In the years to come, we will expand our understanding of the role of the pandemic in altering longer-term social and health trajectories, and among which groups of older adults.