Older People's Perception of the Infodemic during the COVID-19 Pandemic in São Paulo, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has primarily affected the older people, prompting isolation and social restriction. In addition, there was an overwhelming volume of information about the pandemic across various media, particularly the infodemic phenomenon, which has led to changes in their daily lives, negatively affecting their mental health. The objective of this study was to understand the repercussions of the infodemic on older people's routine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This is an exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach conducted with 43 community-dwelling older people aged 60 years and older, were capable of responding to questions autonomously, and had access to the Internet, carried out between 2021 and 2022, in the city of São Paulo. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews, entered into a database, and analyzed using the Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires (IRAMUTEQ) software, employing thematic content analysis and the Reinert method.

RESULTS

Four thematic categories were identified, as follows: Search for information on COVID-19; Hesitation concerning the information disclosed during the pandemic; Changes to older people's daily routine during the pandemic; and Feelings experienced by older people during the pandemic.

CONCLUSION

The findings showed that even in the face of a pandemic crisis scenario and receiving excessive information, it was possible for them to readapt, although emotional burdens may have been generated, such as stress and anxiety.