What changed after two years of COVID-19: the PAMPA Cohort update profile and methodology

Caputo, Eduardo Lucia; Feter, Natan; Delpino, Felipe Mendes; Schröeder, Natália; Paz, Isabel A.; Silva, Luísa Silveira da; Feter, Jayne; Cassuriaga, Júlia; Rocha, Juliana Quadros Santos; Nascimento, Carine; Vieira, Yohana Pereira; Rombaldi, Airton J.; Reichert, Felipe Fossati; Silva, Marcelo Cozzenza da

doi:10.1590/1413-81232025304.06102023

FREE THEME ARTICLE • Ciênc. saúde coletiva 30 (04) • Apr 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232025304.06102023 linkcopy

What changed after two years of COVID-19: the PAMPA Cohort update profile and methodology

O que mudou após dois anos de COVID-19: atualização da metodologia e do perfil da Coorte PAMPA

Qué ha cambiado tras dos años de COVID-19: actualización de la metodología y perfil de Cohorte de PAMPA

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

The PAMPA Cohort aimed to evaluate the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health outcomes of adults. We present data from the fourth wave of the PAMPA Cohort, the updated cohort profile and methodology. The PAMPA Cohort is a prospective study initially designed to have three data collection waves (June 2020, December 2020, and June 2021). With the pandemic progression, three new waves were programmed in addition to the previous waves: 2022. 2023, and 2024. Participants answered about physical activity, mental health, low back pain, healthcare access, and COVID-19, among others. Overall, 2,691 participants answered the wave four. Physical activity levels increased, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were reduced compared to the first assessment. However, a high proportion of chronic diseases was observed, and one-third of participants experienced some degree of food insecurity. Additionally, three-quarters were classified as having long COVID. The indirect effects of the pandemic on both physical and mental health persist in the lives of individuals.

Key words:
COVID-19; Exercise; Low back pain; Mental health; Chronic diseases

	Wave 1^a	Wave 2^b	Wave3^c	Wave 4^d	Wave 5^e	Wave 6^f
Socio-demographic characteristics	*	*	*	*	*	*
Participant characteristics	*	*	*	*	*	*
Working characteristics	*	*	*	*	*	*
Economic characteristics	*	*	*	*	*	*
Social distancing behavior	*	*	*
Mental health	*	*	*	*	*	*
Low back pain	*	*	*	*	*	*
Physical activity	*	*	*	*	*	*
Chronic diseases	*	*	*	*	*	*
Healthcare and medicine access	*	*	*	*	*	*
COVID-19 information		*	*	*	*	*
COVID-19 case detection			*	*	*	*
COVID-19 symptoms				*	*	*
Food situation				*	*	*
Sleep			*	*	*	*
Contact information	*	*	*	*	*	*

	N (%)	95%CI
Sex (n=2,524)
Male	669 (26.5)	24.8; 28.2
Female	1,855 (74.5)	71.7; 75.2
Region (n=2,533)
Norte	230 (9.1)	8.0; 10.3
Vales	195 (7.5)	6.7; 8.8
Centro-oeste	246 (9.5)	8.6; 10.9
Metropolitana	800 (32.3)	29.8; 33.4
Missioneira	188 (7.3)	6.4; 8.5
Sul	721 (28.4)	26.7; 30.3
Serra	153 (6.0)	5.2; 7.0
Age (n = 2,530)
18-30	779 (30.8)	29.0; 32.6
31-59	1,496 (59.1)	57.2; 61.0
60+	255 (10.1)	8.9; 11.3
Ethnicity (n = 2,528)
White	2,244 (88.8)	87.5; 89.9
Black	114 (4.5)	3.8; 5.4
Mixed	168 (6.7)	5.7; 7.7
Other	2 (0.1)	0.02; 0.3
Marital status (n = 2,526)
Living alone	910 (36.0)	34.2; 37.9
With partner	1,616 (64.0)	62.1; 65.8
Highest educational achievement (n = 2,533)
Primary	81 (3.2)	2.6; 3.9
Secondary	708 (27.9)	26.2; 29.7
Tertiary	1,744 (68.9)	67.0; 70.6
BMI (Kg/m²) (n = 2,524)
Normal	1,118 (44.2)	42.4; 46.2
Overweight	853 (33.9)	31.9; 35.7
Obese	553 (21.9)	20.3; 23.6

	Wave 4^a		Wave 1^b
	N (%)	95%CI	N (%)	95%CI
Physical activity
Inactive	1,346 (67.2)	65.2; 69.2	1,744 (76.1)	74.3; 77.7
Active	655 (32.7)	30.7; 34.8	549 (23.9)	22.2; 25.7
Reasons for practicing physical activity
Medical advice	176 (6.2)	5.3; 7.1	^c	^c
Appreciate doing	477 (16.9)	15.5; 18.3	^c	^c
Health	817 (28.9)	27.2; 30.6	^c	^c
Aesthetics	287 (10.2)	9.1; 11.3	^c	^c
Other	55 (1.9)	1.4; 2.5	^c	^c
Physical activity out of home	992 (49.3)	47.1; 51.5	701 (31.0)	29.1; 32.9
Physical activity at home	586 (29.1)	27.1; 31.1	949 (42.0)	40.0; 44.0
Used digital platforms for physical activity
No	934 (86.5)	84.3; 88.3	^c	^c
Yes	146 (13.5)	11.6; 15.6	^c	^c
Low back pain
No	515 (24.9)	23.1; 26.8	607 (26.4)	24.6; 28.2
Yes	1,554 (75.1)	73.2; 76.9	1,693 (73.6)	71.8; 75.4
Anxiety
Normal	777 (37.1)	35.1; 39.2	935 (40.8)	38.8; 42.8
Mild	691 (33.0)	31.0; 35.1	500 (21.8)	20.2; 23.5
Moderate-to-severe	626 (29.9)	28.0; 31.9	858 (37.4)	35.5; 39.4
Depression
Normal	1,074 (51.2)	49.0; 53.3	1,071 (46.7)	44.7; 48.8
Mild	627 (29.9)	27.9; 31.9	567 (24.7)	23.0; 26.5
Moderate-to-severe	398 (19.0)	17.3; 20.7	655 (28.6)	26.8; 30.5
Subjective memory
Bad/very bad	769 (36.5)	34.5; 38.6	290 (12.7)	11.3; 14.1
Regular	952 (45.2)	43.1; 47.4	918 (40.0)	38.1; 42.1
Very good/excellent	384 (18.2)	16.6; 19.9	1,085 (47.3)	45.3; 49.4
Chronic diseases
No	593 (29.2)	27.3; 31.2	1,022 (44.4)	42.4; 46.5
Yes	1,437 (70.8)	68.8; 72.7	1,278 (55.6)	53.5; 57.6
Healthcare access
No	1,195 (58.8)	56.6; 60.9	1,464 (64.2)	62.2; 66.2
Yes	836 (41.2)	39.0; 43.3	815 (35.8)	33.8; 37.8
Type of healthcare
Public	171 (20.5)	17.8; 23.3	^c	^c
Private	565 (67.5)	64.3; 70.7	^c	^c
Both	100 (12.0)	9.9; 14.3	^c	^c
Reasons to not seek care
Fear of being contaminated (COVID-19)	28 (6.3)	4.3; 8.9	214 (9.1)	8.0; 10.3
Financial issues	117 (26.2)	22.2; 30.4	57 (2.4)	1.8; 3.1
Commuting issues	35 (7.8)	5.6; 10.7	48 (2.1)	1.5; 2.6
Telehealth care	10 (2.2)	1.2; 4.1	66 (2.8)	2.1; 3.5
No healthcare professional available	60 (13.4)	10.6; 16.9	18 (0.8)	0.4; 1.1
Other	197 (44.1)	39.5; 49.7	17 (0.7)	0.4; 1.1
Medicine use
No	1,166 (57.4)	55.2; 59.5	1,523 (66.2)	64.3; 68.1
Yes	865 (42.6)	40.5; 44.7	777(33.8)	31.9; 35.7
Have access to all medications
No	52 (6.0)	4.6; 7.8	^c	^c
Yes	813 (94.0)	92.2; 95.5	^c	^c
Sleep (hours)
< 7	724 (36.7)	34.6; 38.8	^c	^c
Between 7 and 8	1,098 (55.7)	53.5; 57.9	^c	^c
> 8	149 (7.6)	6.5; 8.8	^c	^c
Food situation *
Food security	1,363 (70.8)	68.7; 72.7	^c	^c
Food insecurity	563 (29.2)	27.2; 31.3	^c	^c
COVID-19 test
No	312 (15.8)	14.2; 17.4	^c	^c
Yes	1,666 (84.2)	82.5; 85.7	^c	^c
Positive tests
No	667 (40.1)	37.8; 42.5	^c	^c
Yes	996 (59.9)	57.5; 62.2	^c	^c
Long-covid symptoms
No	210 (21.6)	19.1; 24.3	^c	^c
Yes	762 (78.4)	75.7; 80.9	^c	^c

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[TFN1] ^a
Assessed before (retrospectively) and during COVID-19; pandemic (June/July 2020); ^b Assessed on December 2020/January 2021; ^c Assessed on June/July 2021; ^d Assessed on June/July 2022; ^e To be assessed on June/July 2023; ^f To be assessed on June/July 2024.

[TFN2] Source: Authors.