Objective In March 2020, several countries banned unnecessary outdoor activities during COVID-19, commonly called ‘lockdowns. These lockdowns have the potential to impact associated levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Given the numerous health outcomes associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviour, the aim of this review was to summarise literature that investigated differences in physical activity and sedentary behaviour before vs during the COVID-19 lockdown. Design, data sources and eligibility criteria Electronic databases were searched from November 2019 to October 2020 using terms and synonyms relating to physical activity, sedentary behaviour and COVID-19. The coprimary outcomes were changes in physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour captured via device-based measures or self-report tools. Risk of bias was measured using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results Sixty six articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (total n=86 981). Changes in physical activity were reported in 64 studies, with the majority of studies reporting decreases in physical activity and increases in sedentary behaviours during their respective lockdowns across several populations, including children and patients with a variety of medical conditions. Conclusion Given the numerous physical and mental benefits of increased physical activity and decreased sedentary behaviour, public health strategies should include the creation and implementation of interventions that promote safe physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour should other lockdowns occur.

https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/bmjosem/7/1/e000960.full.pdf

Changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: a systematic review

A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies comparing mental health before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities around the world to shut down their campuses indefinitely and move their educational activities onto online platforms The universities were not prepared for such a transition and their online teaching-learning process evolved gradually We conducted a survey in which we asked undergraduate students in an Indian university about their opinion on different aspects of online education during the ongoing pandemic We received responses from 358 students The students felt that they learn better in physical classrooms (65 9%) and by attending MOOCs (39 9%) than through online education The students, however, felt that the professors have improved their online teaching skills since the beginning of the pandemic (68 1%) and online education is useful right now (77 9%) The students appreciated the software and online study materials being used to support online education However, the students felt that online education is stressful and affecting their health and social life This pandemic has led to a widespread adoption of online education and the lessons we learn now will be helpful in the future

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hbe2.240

Opinion of students on online education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to analyze the impact that the COVID-19 lockdown had on the amount of physical activity performed by university students. Materials and Methods: A systematic electronic search for studies providing information regarding physical activity levels pre and during COVID-19 pandemic in university students was performed up to 20th October 2020 in the databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The risk of bias of external validity quality of included studies was assessed by means of those the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The quality of the evidence for main outcomes was graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results and Conclusions: A total of 10 studies were selected. Physical activity levels were assessed by means of questionnaires (10 studies) and accelerometer (1 study). Risk of bias was regarded as low and high in six and four investigations, respectively. The quality of evidence was downgraded to low. A significant reduction of physical activity levels were observed in 9 studies. Compared to pre-lockdown values, five studies showed a reduction of light/mild physical activity (walking) between 32.5 and 365.5%, while seven studies revealed a reduction of high/vigorous physical activity between 2.9 and 52.8%. Walking, moderate, vigorous, and total physical activity levels have been reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic confinements in university students of different countries. Despite of the reductions, those who met the current minimum PA recommendations before the lockdown generally met the recommendations also during the confinements.

/pdf/impact-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-university-students-physical-43y9fzmqtf.pdf

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on University Students' Physical Activity Levels: An Early Systematic Review

Italy was the first European country to implement a national lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide, this pandemic had a huge impact on the mental health of people in many countries causing similar reaction in terms of emotions and concerns at the population level. Our study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being in a cohort of Italian university students. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in the period immediately after the first lockdown through the administration of a questionnaire on the personal websites of students attending their undergraduate courses at the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. We used the Patient-Health-Engagement-Scale, Self-Rating-Anxiety-Scale, and Self-Rating-Depression-Scale to assess engagement, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms of our sample. The sample size was 501 subjects, of which 35.33% were classified as anxious and 72.93% as depressed. Over 90% of respondents had good understanding of the preventive measures despite over 70% suffered from the impossibility of physically seeing friends and partners. Around 55% of students would have been willing to contribute much more to face the pandemic. An increase in the occurrences of anxiety was associated with being female, being student of the Rome campus, suffering from the impossibility of attending university, being distant from colleagues, and being unable of physically seeing one’s partner. Performing physical activity reduced this likelihood. University students are at risk of psychological distress in the case of traumatic events. The evolution of the pandemic is uncertain and may have long-term effects on mental health. Therefore, it is crucial to study the most effective interventions to identify vulnerable subgroups and to plan for acute and long-term psychological services to control and reduce the burden of psychological problems.

/pdf/impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-psychological-well-being-3b227m7vql.pdf

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being of students in an Italian university: a web-based cross-sectional survey.

Mental health and movement behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in UK university students: Prospective cohort study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to negatively impact the mental health of young people and students in particular, yet there is lack of prospective longitudinal data quantifying such changes. This study examines the mental health and movement behaviours, and the associations between the changes in mental health and movement behaviours, of UK university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Methods: A total of 214 students enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study (mean age = 20⸱0 years; males = 28⸱0%, females = 72⸱0%) at an East Midlands UK University. Participants completed a self-report, online survey on four occasions; twice before (14/10/2019; T1 and 28/01/2020; T2) and twice during the UK government enforced ‘lockdown’ (20/03/2020; T3 and 27/04/2020; T4). Mental wellbeing and perceived stress were measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess for changes in variables over time, whilst correlation analysis tested for associations. 

Findings: During the first 5 weeks of ‘lockdown’ mental wellbeing and physical activity decreased ((F (2⸱2, 465⸱0) = 6⸱6, p < ⸱0010 and (F (2⸱7, 591⸱0) = 4⸱8, p < ⸱010 respectively)). Meanwhile, perceived stress and time spent in sedentary behaviour significantly increased ((F (2⸱5, 536⸱2) = 94⸱0, p < ⸱0050 and (F (2⸱7, 578⸱9) = 41⸱2, p < ⸱0001 respectively)). The changes in mental wellbeing and stress were not associated with gender or pre-lockdown mental health, nor were they associated with changes physical activity. A positive association was found between the change in perceived stress and the change in sedentary behaviour (r = ⸱18, p < ⸱010). 

Interpretation: The COVID-19 pandemic is having detrimental effects on the mental health and movement behaviour of university students in the UK. However, these two constructs seem to be changing independently of one another. 

Funding: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. 

Ethics Approval Statement: Ethical approval was granted by the Science and Technology College Research Ethics Committee of the University.

Mental Health and Movement Behaviour During the COVID-19 Pandemic in UK University Students: Prospective Cohort Study

Initial studies indicated that student mental health was impaired during the early stages of the pandemic and that maintaining/improving physical activity gave some protection from mental illness. However, as the pandemic persists, these data may not reflect current circumstances and may have been confounded by exam stress. Methods: This study used an online survey to assess the changes in, and associations between, mental health and movement behaviours in 255 UK university students from before the COVID-19 pandemic (October 2019) to 9 months following the UK’s first confirmed case (October 2020). Changes in and associations between mental wellbeing, perceived stress, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour were assessed using a mixed model ANOVA; a multiple linear regression model determined the predictive value of variables associated with Δ mental wellbeing. Results: Mental wellbeing and physical activity decreased (45.2 to 42.3 (p < 0.001); 223 to 173 min/week (p < 0.001)), whereas perceived stress and time spent sedentary increased (19.8 to 22.8 (p < 0.001); 66.0 to 71.2 h/week (p = 0.036)). Δ perceived stress, Δ sedentary behaviour and university year accounted for 64.7%, 12.9%, and 10.1% of the variance in Δ mental wellbeing (p < 0.001; p = 0.006; p = 0.035). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a sustained negative impact on student mental health and movement behaviour.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/2930/pdf

Nine Months into the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study Showing Mental Health and Movement Behaviours Are Impaired in UK Students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to impaired mental health and increased sedentary behaviour in university students. Recent literature has detailed the associations between impaired components of mental health and increased sedentary behaviour during the early stages of the pandemic. However, the longitudinal interactions between these two concepts have not yet been established in the context of COVID-19. PURPOSE: To explore, using path analysis, the longitudinal interactions between mental wellbeing and perceived stress prior to the pandemic, and sedentary behaviour and motivation to exercise in the nine months following the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in UK university students. METHODS: This study used an online self-report survey to quantify levels of mental wellbeing, perceived stress, motivation to be exercise, and sedentary behaviour in 255 students prior to (October 2019) and nine months (October 2020) following the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the UK. Path analysis by structural equation modelling was used to explore the effect of pre-covid mental wellbeing and perceived stress on sedentary behaviour and motivation to exercise during the pandemic. RESULTS: The fit of the path analysis model was good (χ2 = 0.095; CMIN = 0.095; GFI = 0.999; CFI = 0.999; RMSEA < 0.001). Pre-covid levels of mental wellbeing and perceived stress were not related to sedentary behaviour (r = -0.03; r = 0.05; P > 0.05) but were positively related to motivation to exercise during the pandemic (r = 0.42; r = 0.39; P < 0.001). Additionally, both variables were indirectly negatively related to sedentary behaviour, through motivation to exercise (r = -0.31; P < 0.001). Furthermore, pre-covid sedentary behaviour was positively related to sedentary behaviour during the pandemic (r = 0.34; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that pre-covid mental wellbeing and perceived stress have an indirect influence on time spent sedentary during the pandemic, through motivation to exercise. Universities and policy makers should consider how current mental health status impacts the amount of sedentary behaviour students undertake during their university career. 

James Donaldson

Papers

Mental health and movement behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in UK university students: Prospective cohort study

Mental Health and Movement Behaviour During the COVID-19 Pandemic in UK University Students: Prospective Cohort Study

Nine Months into the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study Showing Mental Health and Movement Behaviours Are Impaired in UK Students.

Exploring The Psychological Factors That Influence Sedentary Behaviour In University Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic.