Physical Activity Levels and Psychological Well-Being during COVID-19 Lockdown among University Students and Employees

Adrián De la Rosa, Armando Monterrosa Quintero, María Alejandra Camacho-Villa, Coralie Arc-Chagnaud, André Gustavo Pereira de Andrade, Sergio Reyes-Correa, Ronald Quintero-Bernal and Juan Pedro Fuentes-García ()
Additional contact information
Adrián De la Rosa: Laboratory of Exercise Physiology, Sports Science and Innovation Research Group (GICED), Unidades Tecnológicas de Santander (UTS), Bucaramanga 680006, Santander, Colombia
Armando Monterrosa Quintero: Research Group SER-SICIDE, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Universidad Católica de Oriente (UCO), Rionegro 054040, Antioquia, Colombia
María Alejandra Camacho-Villa: Laboratory of Exercise Physiology, Sports Science and Innovation Research Group (GICED), Unidades Tecnológicas de Santander (UTS), Bucaramanga 680006, Santander, Colombia
Coralie Arc-Chagnaud: Laboratoire MOVE, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Poitiers, F-86000 Poitiers, France
André Gustavo Pereira de Andrade: Biomechanics Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Sergio Reyes-Correa: Laboratory of Exercise Physiology, Sports Science and Innovation Research Group (GICED), Unidades Tecnológicas de Santander (UTS), Bucaramanga 680006, Santander, Colombia
Ronald Quintero-Bernal: Physical Activity and Sport Program, Sports Science and Innovation Research Group (GICED), Unidades Tecnológicas de Santander (UTS), Bucaramanga 680006, Santander, Colombia
Juan Pedro Fuentes-García: Didactic and Behavioral Analysis of Sports Research Group (ADICODE), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: During the lockdown for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), entire populations were instructed to live in home confinement. We investigated the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the physical activity (PA) and mental health of students and employees in a Colombian University. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey during the first isolation. A total of 431 respondents (192 males) aged 18–60 years old (28.1 ± 11.1 years) participated. The international Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the short version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI-S) were used. The lockdown had a negative effect on PA levels, with students exhibiting the greatest decrease (~34%; p ˂ 0.001) compared to employees (~24%; p ˂ 0.01). The analysis showed a greater change in PA behavior before and during the lockdown in highly active student participants (5750 vs. 5141 MET min/week; p < 0.05). Additionally, the psychological assessment revealed a lower score in students compared to employees in the male (70.1 vs. 82.6) and female groups (60.2 vs. 79.6). Moreover, the results revealed an influence of sex, with only the female students exhibiting a state of distress. Self-reported PA and psychological well-being were compromised during the COVID-19 lockdown in the academic community, with students and females being more affected.

Keywords: anxiety; stress; mental health; comfort; public health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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