A Pilot Study on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Physical Activity and Well-Being of United States Military Veterans in Alaska

Ashley A O'Connor,Amber K Worthington

doi:10.21061/jvs.v7i1.228

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken in response to the pandemic, including compulsory stay-at-home orders, have negatively impacted people’s physical and mental well-being in the United States (US). These issues may be exacerbated in US military veterans; however, little to no research has examined the impact of compulsory stay-at-home orders on veterans. The goal of this pilot study was thus to examine the impact of the COVID-19 compulsory stay-at-home order in Alaska on physical activity and overall well-being of veterans living in Alaska. A total of 16 veterans living in Alaska completed an online survey that assessed their physical activity and overall well-being in the month prior to the compulsory stay-at-home order and in a month during the compulsory stay-at-home order. Results indicated a statistically significant decrease in the participants’ physical activity and overall satisfaction with their health, as well as a borderline significant decrease in environmental well-being. These results, while limited in generalizability due to the small sample size, provide initial insight into the impacts of the compulsory stay-at-home order in Alaska on veterans and call for additional research and the creation of interventions to provide veterans with alternate methods to engage in physical activity and promote their overall well-being.

Highlights

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and measures taken in response to the pandemic have had a profound impact on people worldwide
The small sample size limits the generalizability of the results; this preliminary data sheds important light on the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and responses on the veterans in Alaska who participated in this study, which can facilitate additional research in these areas
Previous work suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken in response to the pandemic have negatively impacted physical activity levels (e.g., JiménezPavón et al, 2020; Mattioli et al, 2020) and psychological well-being (e.g., Ahorsu et al, 2020; Brooks et al, 2020; CDC, 2020); significant work remains to be done in understanding the impacts of the pandemic and compulsory stay-at-home orders on physical activity and overall well-being of different populations where negative symptoms may be exacerbated, like veterans (Marini et al, 2020; Xiang et al, 2020)

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and measures taken in response to the pandemic have had a profound impact on people worldwide. Emerging evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken in response have had detrimental impacts on physical activity (e.g., Jiménez-Pavón et al, 2020; Mattioli et al, 2020) and overall well-being, including environmental, physical, psychological, and social relations well-being (e.g., Ahorsu et al, 2020; Brooks et al, 2020; Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2020), which may be exacerbated in veterans (e.g., Marini et al, 2020). Social relationships may be negatively impacted by both the COVID-19 pandemic and compulsory stay at home orders, as previous research has found that people have a fear of leaving the house and coming into contact with individuals infected with COVID-19 (Lin, 2020) These previous effects on have been noted in the general population. These previous effects on have been noted in the general population. Marini et al (2020) note that veterans with combat experience may face additional vulnerability to these negative impacts on overall wellbeing due to exacerbated feelings of powerlessness and loss; they may have additional resilience, due to their enhanced ability to cope with adversity, that enables them to withstand these negative effects

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion