Observational studyGeroScience2026
Cognitive function, physical function, and mental health in older adults amid reduced primary and specialist healthcare service use during COVID-19: the HUNT study.
Observational study in GeroScience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04792086 (The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on the Health of Older Adults), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on the Health of Older Adults
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
COVID-19 containment measures reduced older adults' healthcare access, with uncertain long-term effects on cognitive, physical, and mental health. To investigate whether reductions in primary and specialist healthcare service use during the pandemic were associated with changes in cognitive, physical, and mental health in community-dwelling older adults, with attention to sex differences. Data from the Norwegian Trøndelag Health Study collected before (HUNT4 70 + , 2017-2019) and after the pandemic (HUNT AiT, 2021-2023) included 5387 participants (53% women) aged 70 + . Propensity score matching, accounting for baseline confounders, was used to examine associations between reduced healthcare service use and cognitive, physical, and mental health changes from pre- to post-pandemic. Reduced contact with general practitioners was associated with greater cognitive decline among women (MoCa-change - 0.32 [95% CI - 0.62, - 0.32]). No differences were observed in physical or mental health. Reductions in other primary care services (e.g., in-home nursing, practical assistance) were associated with greater decline in cognitive function (MoCa-change - 0.94 [- 1.53, - 0.36]), particularly among men (MoCa-change - 2.12 [- 3.13, - 1.11]). Men also had a decline in physical function (SPPB-change - 1.06 [- 1.79, - 0.33]). No differences in mental health were observed. Reductions in specialist healthcare services were unrelated to health changes in the overall sample but linked to improved physical function in women (SPPB-change 0.32 [0.11, 0.53]). Although associations between reduced healthcare service use during the pandemic and cognitive, physical, and mental health were limited, findings highlight the importance of sustaining access to primary care for older adults during public health crises.Trial registration The study is pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov 02.02.2021, with the identification number NCT04792086.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.