Participation of U3A students in virtual activities during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose The pandemic resulting from the emergence of a new coronavirus, known as COVID-19, set in quickly and unexpectedly, bringing several changes in the routine and quality of life of individuals, especially the older ones. Due to the need for social isolation during the pandemic, many educational and health promotion programs stopped being in-person and began to be provided virtually, as was the case with classes at Universities for the Third Age (U3A). The U3A consists of spaces to promote Healthy Ageing through permanent education, promoting knowledge, leisure, education and socialization. However, technological insertion for older people still represents a challenge for the community, as many have difficulties in handling these technologies, which therefore may impact participation in actions provided virtually, such as U3As during the pandemic, and reduce the social interaction provided by these tools (Blanco, Cesário & Castro, 2021). Therefore, the objective of the present study is to identify whether older individuals participants in a U3A participated in virtual activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as whether they already used or started using information and communication technology (ICT) in this period. Method This is a cross-sectional study, with a qualitative approach and was carried out with participants from a U3A located in the city of São Carlos, Brazil. During the covid-19 pandemic, this U3A stopped carrying out in-person activities and started carrying out virtual activities on online platforms. One hundred and nineteen U3A participants aged 50 years or over, who participated in a previous survey conducted in 2019, were invited to participate in the current study. The individuals who accepted were interviewed in person in 2023, after the return of the U3A's in-person activities. A questionnaire developed by the researchers was applied in the interview, which contained sociodemographic questions and four other questions, namely: 1) Did you participate in U3A classes during the pandemic?; 2) Did you use any ICT before the pandemic, such as cell phones, computers and internet?; 3) During the pandemic, did you start using any of these technologies?; 4) Do you currently use any of these technologies? Data were recorded using relative frequency and absolute frequency, mean and standard deviation. Results and Discussion Among the 119 individuals, 65 were unable to be contacted, 21 did not agree to participate again, 2 moved to another city and 1 died. Therefore, 30 individuals participated in the research, the majority of them were female (83.3%) and aged between 60 and 75 years (80.0%). Regarding education, a predominance of individuals with completed secondary education (46.6%) or higher education (36.6%) was observed. Regarding information about participation in U3A's virtual activities during the pandemic, only 10 individuals (33.3%) participated in classes remotely, all of whom used ICT before, during and after the pandemic. Of the 20 individuals who did not participate in U3A's virtual activities, 19 used ICT before and during the pandemic and all 20 used it post the pandemic (Figure 1). Although the sample was broadly digitally engaged and had a high level of education, there was no adherence to this virtual learning methodology, as observed in the study by Formosa (2021), which portrays the difficulties of older individuals participating in U3As in adopting activities in an online format, highlighting the importance of accessible technologies for this audience and training for their use.