COVID-19 and Older People in Africa: A Thematic Analysis of Twitter Content

Abstract

COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of society, particularly older vulnerable adults. In Africa where many older people are at a greater risk for experiencing ill-health, poverty and social exclusion, they will likely be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. We explored Twitter content in relation to this population with an aim to understand those involved in sharing tweets on the topic, the type of tweets shared and the content of tweets. Data were collected on the 14th and15th of October 2020, a period preceded by a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections and deaths in the African region. We used combined descriptive and inductive thematic analysis to identify key themes. We analysed 39 individual Twitter accounts and 19 from organisations. Thematic analysis resulted in four main themes, namely i) the perceived risks factors for COVID-19 ii) Knowledge about infection rates in different population segments iii) protecting older people during the pandemic and iv) the impact of COVID-19 on older people’s livelihoods. This study demonstrated that the situation of older people in Africa in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has received public interest globally. Government agencies were largely underrepresented in the Twitter content, although our data cannot be considered representative of the Twitter population. Our findings do not tell us anything about the relative visibility or invisibility of older people in Africa during the pandemic. Future research could explore this topic. There is need for governments to invest into funding research that examines the health care and support needs of older people in SSA, and to introduce robust health monitoring frameworks across the life span