{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,23]],"date-time":"2026-01-23T23:13:11Z","timestamp":1769209991735,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,6]],"date-time":"2025-01-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1736121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>The aim of this study<\/jats:title><jats:p>to analyze lifestyle changes among older adults during and after COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania, with a particular focus on eating habits, physical activity, social engagement and harmful habits.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The representative sample of Lithuanian population over 65\u202fyears old (1,503 individuals) was involved in the questionnaire survey, performed in January 2024.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Most of the eating habits and the body weight of the older adults did not change during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania. Respondents noted that their physical activity decreased, face-to-face communication became rarer, while remote communication increased. During pandemic, the increased frequency of snacking was more often indicated by persons with lower than secondary education, working, receiving higher incomes, as well as increased snacking and body weight were more prevalent among younger, single or overweight persons; increased body weight during the pandemic was more often mentioned by the persons who assessed their health poorly. Physical activity decreased more often among rural residents and groups with higher or college education; face-to-face communication has become rarer among younger people, rural residents, pensioners, disabled, people with higher income and those with overweight, while remote communication has increased among women, respondents with a university education and those with an average income (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.05). Nearly half of the respondents indicated that the changes in food consumption and smoking frequency that occurred during the pandemic remained after it. After the pandemic, the habits of consuming fast food, confectionery or other sweets and changes in body weight mostly remained, while the patterns of communication returned to the pre-pandemic level. Most of the healthy lifestyle habits formed during the pandemic persisted after the pandemic. The lifestyle habits formed during the pandemic remained more stable in the groups of older persons, residents of smaller towns, respondents with lower than secondary education, higher income, singles, disabled, obese, and those who assessed their health poorly (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.05).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>During the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania, there were various changes in eating habits, physical activity, communication patterns, and harmful habits. Certain habits formed during the pandemic continued afterward, particularly among specific groups of the older Lithuanian adults.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1504193","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,6]],"date-time":"2025-01-06T07:03:03Z","timestamp":1736146983000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Lifestyle changes among older adults during and after COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Skirmante","family":"Sauliune","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ramune","family":"Kalediene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vytenis","family":"Kalibatas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Snieguole","family":"Kaseliene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Olga","family":"Mesceriakova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"05003","DOI":"10.7189\/jogh.12.05003","article-title":"Impact of COVID-19 on physical activity: a rapid review","volume":"12","author":"Park","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Glob Health"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1136\/jech-2021-216690","article-title":"COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on social relationships and health","volume":"76","author":"Long","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Epidemiol Community Health"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e26474","DOI":"10.2196\/26474","article-title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults: rapid review","volume":"4","author":"Lebrasseur","year":"2021","journal-title":"JMIR Aging"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1199","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-18680-x","article-title":"Long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle and body weight: results of representative cross-sectional surveys in adults in Germany","volume":"24","author":"Hauner","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"208","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gerinurse.2024.05.014","article-title":"Changes in frailty and lifestyle among community-dwelling older adults: a two-point cross-sectional study during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan","volume":"58","author":"Shinohara","year":"2024","journal-title":"Geriatr Nurs"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8433","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18168433","article-title":"Will nothing be the same again?: changes in lifestyle during COVID-19 pandemic and consequences on mental health","volume":"18","author":"Caroppo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1653","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18041653","article-title":"Dietary intake and mental health among Saudi adults during COVID-19 lockdown","volume":"18","author":"Alfawaz","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"242","DOI":"10.1159\/000515438","article-title":"The effects of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol and tobacco consumption behavior in Germany","volume":"27","author":"Koopmann","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur Addict Res"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"615","DOI":"10.1136\/tobaccocontrol-2020-056440","article-title":"Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on smoking consumption in a large representative sample of Italian adults","volume":"31","author":"Carreras","year":"2022","journal-title":"Tob Control"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1031","DOI":"10.5993\/AJHB.45.6.7","article-title":"Smoking behavior changes during COVID-19 among Korean adults","volume":"45","author":"Han","year":"2021","journal-title":"Am J Health Behav"},{"key":"ref12","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1574","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2020.5394","article-title":"COVID-19 Lombardy ICU network. 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