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Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2021) | Viewed by 42449

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Dr. Alessandra Di Cagno

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Guest Editor

Physical Exercise and Sport Science Unit, Department of Movement Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis, 6, 00135 Rome, Italy
Interests: sport training; physical activity and health; technology applied in sport; physical activity for children and elderly
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Dr. Giovanni Fiorilli

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Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Interests: training methodologies; sport training; active lifestyle to promote health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) created an international public health emergency. Considering that COVID-19 is an illness with unknown causes and a high viral load, all the countries in the world have taken unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the virus. This included enforcing policies regarding the avoidance of human-to-human transmission via social distancing. In addition, quarantine measures kept a large number of people in isolation, restricting their activity practices and interactions, with dangerous physical and psychological eﬀects on individuals and societies.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine caused the suspension of physical activity and sports at every level. Physical activity provides several benefits to an individual’s health and well-being, and its restriction has had relevant negative psychological, cultural, and environmental influences. Recent studies have pointed out the protective role of physical activity during the lockdown. Moreover, moderate and regular physical activity brings an improvement in immune function, optimizing the body’s defense mechanisms against infections (FIMS, 2020). Nevertheless, the nonspecific symptoms at early stages—especially in young and healthy people (e.g., athletes)—lead to a danger of contagion. It should be noted that the prevention of COVID-19 infection in athletes has been essential in order to minimize training interruptions, which lead to a poorer performance.

Other considerations could be taken into account such as the economic consequences of the prolonged quarantine duration on the sports community. Furthermore, the infection fears, stigma, and the inadequate information may prompt athletes to drop out of their sport and lead to high-stress effects.

This Special Issue is open to any contributions in the subject area of "Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context". The keywords listed below provide an outline of some of the possible areas of interest.

Dr. Alessandra Di Cagno
Dr. Giovanni Fiorilli
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Physical activity
Sport activity
COVID-19 infection
Lockdown
Defense mechanisms
Financial loss
Public health
Psychological health and well-being

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 1096 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Move or Barely Moving? Age-Related Changes in Physical Activity, Sedentary, and Sleep Behaviors by Weekday/Weekend Following Pandemic Control Policies

by Ann Pulling Kuhn, Alysse J. Kowalski, Yan Wang, Rachel Deitch, Helina Selam, Zahra Rahmaty, Maureen M. Black and Erin R. Hager

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(1), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010286 - 28 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2583

Abstract

This study examined pre-pandemic (2017-early March 2020) to early-pandemic (Spring 2020) changes in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), and sedentary behavior/sleep (SS), by weekday/weekend, and age (preschool, elementary, middle school). We re-enrolled children from two pre-pandemic obesity prevention trials and examined differences in accelerometer-measured PA from pre-pandemic to early-pandemic across age groups using linear mixed models. Children (n = 75) were 51% multiple race/ethnicities, 29% preschool, 28% elementary, 43% middle school, 65% suburban, 21% rural, and 13% urban. Pre-pandemic to early-pandemic changes in weekday MVPA (p = 0.006), LPA (p = 0.018), and SS (p = 0.003) differed by age. On weekdays, middle schoolers’ MVPA decreased 15.36 min/day (p = 0.002) and SS increased 94.36 min/day (p < 0.001) with non-significant changes among preschoolers and elementary schoolers. Compared to elementary schoolers, middle schoolers’ changes in weekday MVPA (b = −16.34, p = 0.036) and SS (b = 63.28, p = 0.039) significantly differed. Declines in weekday MVPA and increases in SS among middle schoolers suggest that, compared with younger children, middle schoolers are dependent on school and recreational facilities for PA, and in their absence engage in more sedentary activities and sleep. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

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14 pages, 362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parents’ Report of Canadian Elementary School Children’s Physical Activity and Screen Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

by Emma Ostermeier, Patricia Tucker, Andrew Clark, Jamie A. Seabrook and Jason Gilliland

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(23), 12352; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312352 - 24 Nov 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3369

Abstract

COVID-19 public health protocols have altered children’s daily routines, limiting their physical activity opportunities. The purpose of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected children’s (ages 10–12 years) physical activity and screen time, and to explore the impact of gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and public health constraints (i.e., facility use and social interaction) on the changes in children’s health behaviors. Online surveys were disseminated to parents at two time points: before COVID-19 (May 2019 to February 2020) and during COVID-19 (November to December 2020). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess changes in physical activity and screen time, and for subgroup analyses. Parents (n = 95) reported declines in children’s physical activity (Z = −2.53, p = 0.01, d = 0.18), and increases in weekday (Z = −4.61, p < 0.01, d = 0.33) and weekend screen time (Z = −3.79, p < 0.01, d = 0.27). Significant changes in physical activity and screen time behaviors were identified between gender, SES, and facility use groups. All social interaction groups underwent significant changes in screen time. Overall, COVID-19 protocols have negatively influenced children’s physical activity and screen time. Due to the negative consequences of inactivity and excessive screen time, resources must be made available to support families during the pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

11 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stress Impact of COVID-19 Sports Restrictions on Disabled Athletes

by Giovanni Fiorilli, Andrea Buonsenso, Nicola Davola, Giulia Di Martino, Francesca Baralla, Stefanos Boutious, Marco Centorbi, Giuseppe Calcagno and Alessandra di Cagno

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 12040; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212040 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2608

Abstract

The stress impact of COVID-19 restrictions has put the adapted sports community at an unprecedented level of emergency. The self-report Event Scale—Revised (IES-R) questionnaire was administered to assess the level of psychological distress and emotive reactions such as intrusion (INT), avoidance (AV) and hyperarousal (HYP) following training and competitions suspension within a sample of Italian disabled athletes. A total of 146 self-selected volunteers were included in this study: 73 disabled athletes (aged 42.11 ± 13.70) and 73 athletes (aged 40.23 ± 13.73) who served as the control group. Only 8.22% of the disabled participants vs. 30.14% of athletes were affected by subjective distress. MANOVA showed significant differences in IES-R subjective distress for age, where the emerging adults had a higher level of stress than adults (p = 0.031), and for the type of sport, where the individual sports group showed higher scores than the team sports group (p = 0.049). Regarding the IES-R subscales, significant differences were found in INT and AV for age, where the emerging adults showed higher scores than adults (p = 0.018 and p = 0.046, respectively). Significant differences were found in HYP for type of sport, where the individual sports group showed higher scores than the team sports group (p = 0.014). The results confirmed a lower distress level of disabled athletes to adverse events than that expressed by athletes. Both sports engagement and the experience of living with impairment, overcoming structural barriers, could act as a buffer effect against stress due to COVID-19 restrictions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

18 pages, 1779 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Staying Active under Restrictions: Changes in Type of Physical Exercise during the Initial COVID-19 Lockdown

by Valentin Benzing, Sanaz Nosrat, Alireza Aghababa, Vassilis Barkoukis, Dmitriy Bondarev, Yu-Kai Chang, Boris Cheval, Muhammet Cihat Çiftçi, Hassan M. Elsangedy, Maria Luisa M. Guinto, Zhijian Huang, Martin Kopp, Hafrún Kristjánsdóttir, Garry Kuan, Luca Mallia, Dadi Rafnsson, Gledson Tavares Amorim Oliveira, Arto J. Pesola, Caterina Pesce, Noora J. Ronkainen, Sinika Timme and Ralf Brand Show full author list Hide full author list

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 12015; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212015 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5183

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated governmental restrictions suddenly changed everyday life and potentially affected exercise behavior. The aim of this study was to explore whether individuals changed their preference for certain types of physical exercise during the pandemic and to identify risk factors for inactivity. An international online survey with 13,881 adult participants from 18 countries/regions was conducted during the initial COVID-19 related lockdown (between April and May 2020). Data on types of exercise performed during and before the initial COVID-19 lockdown were collected, translated, and categorized (free-text input). Sankey charts were used to investigate these changes, and a mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to analyze risks for inactivity. Many participants managed to continue exercising but switched from playing games (e.g., football, tennis) to running, for example. In our sample, the most popular exercise types during the initial COVID-19 lockdown included endurance, muscular strength, and multimodal exercise. Regarding risk factors, higher education, living in rural areas, and physical activity before the COVID-19 lockdown reduced the risk for inactivity during the lockdown. In this relatively active multinational sample of adults, most participants were able to continue their preferred type of exercise despite restrictions, or changed to endurance type activities. Very few became physically inactive. It seems people can adapt quickly and that the constraints imposed by social distancing may even turn into an opportunity to start exercising for some. These findings may be helpful to identify individuals at risk and optimize interventions following a major context change that can disrupt the exercise routine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

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12 pages, 2451 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical Activity Reduction and the Worsening of Gastrointestinal Health Status during the Second COVID-19 Home Confinement in Southern Italy

by Antonella Bianco, Isabella Franco, Alberto Rubén Osella, Gianluigi Giannelli, Giuseppe Riezzo, Caterina Bonfiglio, Laura Prospero, Paolo Sorino and Francesco Russo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9554; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189554 - 10 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2497

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in December 2020, the Italian government established a second home confinement during the Christmas holidays. These restrictions offered the opportunity to utilize a well-defined model for observing the consequences of lifestyle changes of healthy individuals. This study aimed at estimating in healthy subjects from Southern Italy the physical activity (PA), the presence and the severity of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and the association between the possible worsening of GI health status and the PA levels. An adapted version of the International PA Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) were proposed through Google’s online survey platform in three different periods via WhatsApp^TM to 499 healthy subjects (62% females) from Apulia (25%), Calabria (37%), and Campania (38%). Our results showed statistically significant changes during the home confinement: reduced energy expenditure (EE) among overweight subjects (−239.82, 95%CI −405.74; −73.89) or those who had high GSRS total score (−1079.54, 95%CI −2027.43; −131.66). An increase in GSRS total score was observed in overweight subjects, reaching statistical significance in those from Campania. Our study supports the importance of PA to reduce health risks, including those related to the possible onset of GI tract diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

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13 pages, 407 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psychological States and Training Habits during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Spanish Basketball Athletes

by Jorge Lorenzo Calvo, Miriam Granado-Peinado, Alfonso de la Rubia, Diego Muriarte, Alberto Lorenzo and Daniel Mon-López

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 9025; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179025 - 27 Aug 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3971

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions designed to slow the spread of infection greatly disrupted people’s lives. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of lockdown on the psychology, training, and sleep habits of a cohort of basketball players. An online survey involving 169 professional and amateur athletes was conducted using four validated psychological questionnaires (WLEIS-S, POMS, BRS, SMS-II) and a Likert scale to measure the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and training variables. Gender differences in fatigue (p = 0.022); friendships (p = 0.017); others’ emotional appraisal (p < 0.001); and resilience (p = 0.031) were apparent, with higher values for women in all categories bar resilience. Comparisons before and during the lockdown revealed that all participants reduced their RPE (p < 0.001); training days (p = 0.004); and training hours (p < 0.001), and experienced a decline in the quality of sleep (p < 0.001). Sleep hours (p < 0.001) increased during lockdown. The professionals and females maintained their training days (p > 0.05), while the non-professionals and males did not. Psychological states during lockdown were a predictor of the differences in training and recovery variables. In situations where training and competition are limited, it is important to develop plans to maintain physical activity, good quality sleep, and promote greater emotional management and understanding to control negative moods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

17 pages, 1915 KiB

Open AccessArticle

One Year of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Effect of Sedentary Behavior on Physical Activity Levels and Musculoskeletal Pain among University Students

by Federico Roggio, Bruno Trovato, Silvia Ravalli, Michelino Di Rosa, Grazia Maugeri, Antonino Bianco, Antonio Palma and Giuseppe Musumeci

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8680; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168680 - 17 Aug 2021

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 6947

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak forced Italian students to reduce their daily activities, inducing a seden-tary attitude that was worsened by distanced learning. This study aimed to survey the physical activity levels that were maintained before and during the social restrictions following the pan-demic, their correlation to musculoskeletal pain, as well as analyzing the impact of these COVID-19 restrictions on pain and fatigue that affects daily life activities. A total of 2044 students completed the online questionnaire, of which the results of 1654 participants were eligible. Before the pandemic, the levels of physical activity were distributed as: 19.9% no activity, 30.1% light ac-tivity, 21.5% moderate activity, and 28.5% high activity. After one year of the pandemic, 30.6% of the participants were inactive, 48.1%, 10.9%, and 10.5% stated as maintaining, respectively, light, moderate and high levels of physical activity. Furthermore, 43.5% reported neck pain and 33.5% stated to experience low back pain. Physical activity levels lower than 150 min/week may have predisposed students to suffer from neck pain (1.95 OR at 95% CI, 1.44–2.64) and low back pain (1.79 OR at 95% CI, 1.29–2.49). A positive correlation between physical activity levels, Verbal Descriptive Scale (VDS), and pain frequency have been observed for neck and low back pain (p-value < 0.05). Finally, low physical activity levels were associated with musculoskeletal pain onset and pain worsening. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

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Review

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18 pages, 708 KiB

Open AccessReview

Physical Activity of Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Scoping Review

by Lea Rossi, Nick Behme and Christoph Breuer

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11440; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111440 - 30 Oct 2021

Cited by 188 | Viewed by 14012

Abstract

To counteract the COVIC-19 pandemic, many governments have introduced social distancing measures. While these restrictions helped contain the virus, it had adverse effects on individuals’ mental and physical health—especially children. The aim of the present study is to review the evidence on the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on children’s physical activity and their determinants. A scoping review was conducted in the databases PubMed, Web of Science, SportDiscus, and BISp-Surf. Inclusion criteria were empirical and peer-reviewed studies, youth samples, investigation of COVID-19 restrictions, and investigating changes and/or determinants of physical activity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk of bias was assessed using the checklist by Downs and Black. The search resulted in 1672 studies, of which 84 studies were included in the analysis. The results highlighted a decrease in physical activity during the pandemic, ranging between −10.8 min/day and −91 min/day. If an increase was detected, it related to unstructured and outdoor activities. The main determinants of children’s physical activity during the pandemic were age, gender, socioeconomic background, and the outdoor environment. The results imply that governments need to consider the negative effects that restrictive measures have on children’s physical activity and act to ensure high levels of physical activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sport in the COVID-19 Context)

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