Objective:

To assess the relationship between well-being, cognitive impairment, coping measures, and level of physical activity in older people in a COVID-19 pandemic situation in a city in northern Chile, and to compare people with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methodology:

Cross-sectional study that included 65 elderly people living in the community of Arica (Chile). Their cognitive performance was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), their coping strategies were measured with the Multidimensional Coping Estimation Inventory (COPE -28), their physical activity levels with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short version, and their well-being using the GHQ12 general health questionnaire.

Results:

Four variables behaved as predictors of low well-being: female gender (ß =1.833; p=0.049); being younger (ß = 0.175; p=0.030); use more stress coping block (ß =0.706; p=0.001); and less cognitive coping (ß = 0.436; p=0.001). In addition, there was a relationship between low well-being and a lower number of METs in people with a moderate physical activity level (r= -0.250; p=0.022). When comparing the results of the variables between subjects with and without MCI, there were no significant differences (p>0.05).

Conclusion:

The highest percentage of participants with low well-being was observed in those with less physical activity, female gender, and who use coping blocking as a strategy in periods of stress. It is vital to ensure that older people remain active and maintain adequate coping measures to be more resilient during a crisis.

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