Association between Physical Activity and Mood States of Children and Adolescents in Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Epidemic.

Xinxin Zhang,Wenfei Zhu,Zijun Lu,Sifan Kang,Yuliang Sun,Longkun Qiu

doi:10.3390/ijerph17207666

Xinxin Zhang, Wenfei Zhu + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207666

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Abstract

The COVID-19 epidemic adversely affects the lifestyle of people. This study aimed to examine the impacts of social isolation on physical activity (PA) levels and mood states of children and adolescents and to explore the correlation between them during the COVID-19 epidemic. A total of 9979 children and adolescents (11.63 ± 1.23 years old) from Yan’an, China volunteered to participate in this study and completed online questionnaires. PA and mood states were measured by International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and Profile of Mood States (POMS), respectively. The results showed that the mean of students’ moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was 23.19 min per day. The total mood disturbance in the moderate and high-level PA groups were significantly lower than those in the low-level PA group (p < 0.05). Additionally, boys and girls had significant differences in PA levels (p < 0.01), and the PA levels of students in different grades were also significantly different (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, boys’ mood states were worse than girls’. The Grade 4 in primary schools had the worst mood states while Grade 5 had the best mood states. The results suggested that the MVPA of students has dropped badly, compared with the results of previous studies investigated in normal times. In addition, the PA level had a significantly positive impact on the mood states of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 epidemic. Sex and grades were factors which affected the PA levels and mood states. This study can help policymakers and healthcare professionals understand PA and mood states of Chinese children and adolescents during the epidemic. We should pay attention to the changes in PA levels and mood states of children and adolescents.

Highlights

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak began in 2019
This study aimed to examine the impacts of social isolation on physical activity (PA) levels and mood states of children and adolescents and to explore the correlation between them during the COVID-19 epidemic
Our study found the moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) of students has considerably declined, compared with the results of previous studies [33,34,35,36], which will be discussed in detail in the following parts

Summary

Introduction

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak began in 2019. In just a few months, most countries were severely affected [1]. More than 200 countries and regions around the world were affected by COVID-19, with a total of 28,871,176 confirmed patients and a total of more than 921,801 deaths by 15 September 2020. It has a huge negative impact on the global society, economy and life, which seriously threatens people’s lives. In response to this epidemic, governments in many countries, especially China, have implemented “partial blockade” and “social isolation” strategies by closing schools, factories and other public places

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