Continuity and Discontinuity of Sport and Exercise Type During the COVID-19 Pandemic. An Exploratory Study of Effects on Mood.

Noora J Ronkainen,Arto J Pesola,Ralf Brand,Olli Tikkanen

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.622876

Abstract

Involvement in sport and exercise not only provides participants with health benefits but can be an important aspect of living a meaningful life. The COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary cessation of public life in March/April/May 2020 came with restrictions, which probably also made it difficult, if not impossible, to participate in certain types of sport or exercise. Following the philosophical position that different types of sport and exercise offer different ways of “relating to the world,” this study explored (dis)continuity in the type of sport and exercise people practiced during the pandemic-related lockdown, and possible effects on mood. Data from a survey of 601 adult exercisers, collected shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak in Finland, were analyzed. Approximately one third (35%) of the participants changed their “worldmaking” and shifted to “I–Nature”-type activities. We observed worse mood during the pandemic in those who shifted from “I–Me,” compared to those who had preferred the “I–Nature” relation already before the pandemic and thus experienced continuity. The clouded mood of those experiencing discontinuity may be the result of a temporary loss of “feeling at home” in their new exercise life-world. However, further empirical investigation must follow, because the observed effect sizes were small.

Highlights

IntroductionThe governmental lockdowns (i.e., restrictions of travel and closures of schools, workplaces, exercise/sport facilities instituted as a safety measure) following the Coronavirus outbreak from early 2020 onwards imposed drastic changes in people’s daily lives, with possible physical, social, and psychological consequences
The governmental lockdowns following the Coronavirus outbreak from early 2020 onwards imposed drastic changes in people’s daily lives, with possible physical, social, and psychological consequences
The data we used for the present study were collected as part of a worldwide survey with more than 16,000 participants from all over the world, which was conducted in a joint effort of the International Research Group (IRG) on COVID and exercise (Brand et al, 2020)

Summary

Introduction

The governmental lockdowns (i.e., restrictions of travel and closures of schools, workplaces, exercise/sport facilities instituted as a safety measure) following the Coronavirus outbreak from early 2020 onwards imposed drastic changes in people’s daily lives, with possible physical, social, and psychological consequences. Continuity and Discontinuity of Exercise Type sample from 14 countries (Wilke et al, 2020), different studies have observed maintenance or even increases in physical activity during the pandemic. According to an international study with more than 13.000 participants from 18 countries worldwide, 31.9% reported having started exercising more frequently during the lockdown, whereas 44.2% reported no change, and only 23.7% reported a decrease of usual exercise frequency (Brand et al, 2020). Some of these results seem to be contradictory This impression is put into perspective, as soon as one takes into account that the various studies have measured different aspects of physical activity and exercise (e.g., cumulated moderate and vigorous physical activity minutes per day, frequency and duration of walking, or exercise session frequency per week)

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Conclusion