Physical Activity Behaviors and Physical Work Capacity in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective. The COVID-19 pandemic led to restricted access to sports and recreation facilities, resulting in a general decrease in physical activity. Many studies present the results of on-line questionnaires conducted during the pandemic, but there are few reports of objectively measured indicators of physical condition. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the changes in physical work capacity, body composition, and physical activity behaviors in university students during 14 weeks of lockdown. Material and Methods. Twenty students of Tourism and Recreation (13 female and 7 male) participated in the study. The first examination was conducted in November 2020, and the second in March 2021. Body composition was assessed with a Tanita 418 MA device. The students performed the PWC 170 cycling test and completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short version) on-line. Results. Neither physical work capacity nor body composition parameters changed substantially during the analyzed period. In the female students, vigorous physical activity decreased significantly, but no substantial changes occurred in weekly metabolic equivalent of task. In male students, walking days and metabolic equivalent of task decreased, but the changes were not significant. Conclusions. Fourteen weeks of COVID-19 lockdown had little effect on the body composition, physical work capacity level, and physical activity habits of Tourism and Recreation students. Studies with larger groups of participants should verify the current conclusions, and care should be taken when extrapolating to other populations.

Physical Activity and Exercise for Optimal Disease Prevention: Clinical Evidence

Previous physical activity guidelines from health organizations provide general physical activity and exercise intensity and duration recommendations. These guidelines have experienced very little change over the last two decades, despite significant changes in technology, more specifically wearable technology. The guidelines typical refer to exercise intensity as low, moderate and vigorous intensity based on a metabolic equivalent scale (MET) or a subjective scale. With wearable technology being accessible, affordable, reliable, and accurate, more attention should be given address recommendations that are multifaceted and specific. Most wearable technology can easily track sleep, steps, calories, hear rate, and exercise time within certain heart rate training zones. Research has shown that monitoring exercise and physical activity with wearable technology can improve health outcomes3.

Physical Activity Levels of the Physiotherapy Students in Rwanda during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Lockdown Period

BackgroundThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and related social distancing measures have an impact on physical activity levels.ObjectiveTo assess the physical activity (PA) levels of the physiotherapy students in Rwanda during the COVID-19 lockdown period.MethodsWe used a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study design. Eighty-one participants were recruited, and data were collected using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. We used descriptive statistics, Pearson Chi-Square and Kruskal-Wallis tests to assess whether there were statistically significant differences in physical activity levels according to demographic variables.ResultsThe median total PA metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-minutes/week score for all the participants together was 3546 (IQR=8714), meaning high PA. The rates for high, moderate, and low PA levels were 54.4%, 31.7% and 13.9% respectively. Male and rural participants had higher median total PA MET score than females (p=0.008) and urban residents (p=0.018) respectively.ConclusionsThe PA levels of the study participants during the COVID-19 lockdown period were higher than the recommended standards. Females and urban participants appeared to be less physically active than their counterparts. Further similar studies and interventions towards PA promotion among university students in Rwanda during the pandemic are suggested.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2021;4(3):334-340

Physical Activity (PA) of Pre-Clinical and Clinical Medical Students: Is Clinical Medical Student Less Physically Active than Pre-Clinical Medical Student?

Background: An increase of sedentary behavior was observed in each year especially in clinical year. This accounts for a decrease in physical activities (PAs) of medical students, which could lead to reduced overall health and physical performance. Objective: To compare the levels of PA between pre-clinical and clinical medical students of Mae Fah Luang University (MFU) and to explored association between the levels of PA and school year. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and August 2019. Online questionnaire, including personal profiles and global PA questionnaire, were distributed to all MFU medical students currently studying in the academic year of 2019. Results: One hundred fifty-six medical students participated in the present study. From the questionnaires, 67.74% of pre-clinical medical students (n=63) and 52.99% of clinical medical students (n=36) had moderate to high levels of PA. Pre-Clinical students had significantly higher levels of PA by median metabolic equivalent value (MET) at 1,908.73 versus 1,339.05 MET-minutes/week (p=0.03). The sixth-year medical students increased risk of lower PA than the first year about 8.34 times (p<0.01). Conclusion: One-third of the medical students reported as having low levels of PA. Clinical medical students had reduced levels of PA compared to pre-clinical medical students. Therefore, PA should be promoted to help increase the overall health of medical students. Keywords: Physical activity; Metabolic; Equivalent; Medical Student; Clinic; Pre-clinic

Midlife Cardiorespiratory Fitness and the Development of Peripheral Artery Disease in Later Life

Background Data are sparse on the prospective associations between physical activity and incidence of lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). Methods and Results Linking participant data from the CCLS (Cooper Center Longitudinal Study) to Medicare claims files, we studied 19 023 participants with objectively measured midlife cardiorespiratory fitness through maximal effort on the Balke protocol who survived to receive Medicare coverage between 1999 and 2009. The study aimed to determine the association between midlife cardiorespiratory fitness and incident PAD with proportional hazards intensity models, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and other covariates, to PAD failure time data. During 121 288 person‐years of Medicare follow‐up, we observed 805 PAD‐related hospitalizations/procedures among 19 023 participants (21% women, median age 50 years). Lower midlife fitness was associated with a higher rate of incident PAD in patients aged 65 years and older (low fit [quintile 1]: 11.4, moderate fit [quintile 2 to 3]: 7.8, and high fit [quintile 4 to 5]: 5.7 per 1000 person years). After multivariable adjustment for common predictors of incident PAD such as age, body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes, these findings persisted. Lower risk for PAD per greater metabolic equivalent task of fitness was observed (hazard ratio [HR], 0.93 [95% CI, 0.90–0.97]; P <0.001). Among a subset of patients with an additional fitness assessment, each 1 metabolic equivalent task increase from baseline fitness was associated with decreased risk of incident PAD (HR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.82–0.99]; P =0.03). Conclusions Cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy, middle‐aged adults is associated with lower risk of incident PAD in later life, independent of other predictors of incident PAD.

Psychosocial and Physical Activity Outcomes Among Group Lifestyle Balance Program Participants With Arthritis

Background Weight loss and physical activity (PA) are recommended for arthritis management. The Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) Program(TM) is an evidence-based, lifestyle change program for weight loss in individuals with prediabetes, but hasn’t been evaluated in people with arthritis. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an adapted version of the GLB program on PA and psychosocial outcomes related to weight loss among overweight (Body Mass Index &gt;27) individuals with arthritis. Methods A single-group, quasi-experimental design was used to examine the effects of the adapted GLB program on measures of PA and psychosocial outcomes. All participants (N=15) received the GLB program and completed the following surveys: CHAMPS PA, Self-Efficacy for PA (SE), Social Support for PA (SS), Weight Loss Efficacy (WEL) and Barriers to Healthy Eating (BHE) at baseline, 12-weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. Repeated measures ANOVA and the Friedman Test were used to examine changes over time. Results Participants (aged 53-79 years) were primarily female (82%), white (94%), and college educated (94%). Significant improvements were found in BHE subsections of self-control and motivation (p=0.002), daily mechanics (p=0.042), and WEL subsections of availability (p=0.049), social pressure (p=0.010), physical discomfort (p=0.011), and positive activities (p=0.007). Weekly caloric expenditure (p=0.004), metabolic equivalent minutes (p=0.022) for all activities, and moderate-intensity activities (p=0.019) also showed significant improvements. However, most improvements were seen in the short-term. Conclusions The GLB program should be further evaluated for its effectiveness in people with arthritis.

Are eSports more than just sitting? A study comparing energy expenditure

Aim: To investigate the energy expenditure of amateur eSport athletes between sitting and an eSport gaming session. Materials & methods: Eleven amateur male eSport athletes (age: 21.73 ± 3.50 years, weight: 76.00 ± 12.51 kg, height: 1.81 ± 0.06 m) were included. After recording the resting values, eSports playing values were recorded using an open circulation oxygen consumption analyzer (QuarkCPET, COSMED, Albano Laziale, Italy). Also, action per min (APM) scores were recorded. Results: When comparing the respiratory frequency, metabolic equivalent of task values and energy expenditure values of the participants, a significant increase was observed in all three values (p < 0.05 for each). Conclusion: eSports players, who are considered to be physically inactive by sitting, spend approximately 40% more energy than sitting, even at the amateur level. According to APM, more energy can be spent in tournaments and at the elite level.

GAMBARAN AKTIVITAS FISIK PADA PRIA SELAMA PANDEMI COVID-19

Kesehatan dan kesejahteraan berhak dimiliki oleh setiap orang. Berdasarkan Riskesdas tahun 2013, penduduk yang tergolong kurang aktif tingkat aktivitas fisiknya berada di atas rata-rata. Adanya pandemi COVID-19 mengakibatkan pembatasan kegiatan di luar rumah sehingga mengganggu kegiatan sehari-hari seperti latihan dan aktivitas fisik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui intensitas aktivitas fisik yang dilakukan oleh pria di masa pandemi COVID-19. Studi cross-sectional dengan metode total sampling dilakukan dalam penelitian ini sehingga didapatkan responden masyarakat berjenis kelamin laki-laki sejumlah 90. Data dikumpulkan dengan mengisi kuesioner GPAQ. Hasil kuisioner menunjukkan bahwa rerata nilai Metabolic Equivalent (MET) untuk total aktivitas fisik adalah 2365.42. Nilai MET tertinggi ada pada domain rekreasi (619.44). Responden yang memiliki intensitas aktivitas fisik yang rendah sebesar 40%, sedang 33% dan tinggi 27%. Aktivitas fisik tinggi banyak dijumpai pada Mahasiswa (25.7%). Rata-rata waktu yang dihabiskan untuk kegiatan menetap adalah 344 menit. Pelajar memiliki waktu kegiatan menetap tertinggi (428.57). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebagian responden masih melakukan aktivitas fisik sedang (33%) dan aktivitas fisik tinggi (27%). Namun persentase lebih besar ada pada aktivitas fisik rendah (40%) yang menandakan bahwa sebagian responden belum memenuhi rekomendasi WHO dalam melakukan aktivitas fisik sehari-hari untuk kesehatan.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Satisfaction With Life of University Students in Qatar: Changes During Confinement Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explored the effects of home confinement on physical activity (PA) and satisfaction with life (SL) among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 531 subjects participated [male: n=203; female: n=328; age: 33.1±5.2years; mass: 72.1±17.5kg; height: 1.67±0.12m; and body mass index (BMI): 25.7±5.06 kg/m2]. Online survey questions considered “before” and “during” confinement. Confinement reduced all PA intensities (ηp2=0.09–0.45, p&lt;0.001) and increased daily sitting time (ηp2=0.58, p&lt;0.001). The largest reduction was in moderate intensity PA [metabolic equivalent of task-minutes/week (MET), ηp2=0.45, p&lt;0.001]. SQL decreased, with the score for “I am satisfied with my life” (ηp2=0.42, p&lt;0.001) decreasing from 28.4±5.7 to 20.6±9.7 arbitrary units (AU). Concerning SL, the largest change was detected for “the conditions of my life are excellent” (ηp2=0.54, p&lt;0.001). Time changes in all variables were demonstrative of large negative changes in both sexes. The difference in change between sexes was largest in terms of magnitude for the variable “the conditions of my life are excellent” (difference between groups, Δd=0.98). In sum, COVID-19 confinement reduced PA, heightened sitting time, and reduced SL in Qatar University students. This investigation could have a significant impact in developing PA guidelines for health maintainance during COVID-19 and successive pandemics in university students.