Abstract
This study aims to determine whether the number of daily steps is effective in the body composition and mental well-being of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research group of the study consisted of 40 volunteer students studying at the Faculty of Sport Sciences by being randomly assigned to the experimental (n:20) and control (n:20) groups. The research is in the experimental model with a pre-test/post-test control group. As a data collection tool in the study, the 'Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale' was used to determine the personal information form and mental well-being. The obtained data were analysed in the Jamovi 1.8.2 statistical software program with a 95% reliability interval and 5% margin of error. In the analysis of the data, percentage (%), frequency (f), and mean (x̄) values were used in the descriptive data, Paired Samples t-test was used in the pre-test/post-test comparison, and Multinomial Regression analysis was used in the relational analysis. According to the findings of the study, 75% of the students in the experimental group and 70% of the students in the control group were in the normal weight class according to the body mass index classification. According to waist-hip ratio classification, 85% of the experimental group and 70% of the control group were in the group that did not have cardiovascular disease risk. After two months of application, the daily average number of steps of the experimental group (12.5751898.1) and the daily average number of steps of the control group were determined as (5381.272026.2). While there was a statistically significant difference in the pre-test/post-test body mass index averages of the experimental group who were asked to take at least 10,000 steps per day (p0.05), although there was an increase in the mean waist-hip ratio and mental well-being, there was no statistically significant difference (p0.05). It was determined that the step average had a statistically significant effect on the experimental group according to the body mass index classification (p0.05). As a result, while taking at least 10,000 steps per day was effective in the body mass index of the students, it was not so in the waist-hip ratio and mental well-being. In this context, physical activity, and especially walking, can be recommended at the point of protecting health.
 
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Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic, which affects the whole world, first appeared in the city of Wuhan, China in early December 2019, as the severe acute respiratory syndrome of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Huang et al, 2020)
The World Health Organization declared on January 31, 2020, that COVID-19 is a pandemic of international concern in public health and declared a state of emergency on March 11, 2020 (Ghebreyesus, 2020)
According to body mass index classification, 70% of the control group is in the normal group, 25% is in the overweight group, and 5% is in the underweight group
Summary
The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic, which affects the whole world, first appeared in the city of Wuhan, China in early December 2019, as the severe acute respiratory syndrome of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Huang et al, 2020). Participation in physical activity or sports, which is an essential component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle (Hull et al, 2020) has been adversely affected due to the restriction of access to social areas, fitness centres, and public parks as part of the COVID19 pandemic safety measures (Heffernan and Jae, 2020). Due to COVID-19, the young population has shown a sedentary lifestyle during the quarantine period, their susceptibility to depression has increased and their quality of life has been adversely affected (Cihan and Pirinççi, 2020). In this sense, the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating another established global epidemic; physical inactivity (Hall, 2020). For the post-pandemic lifestyle to be healthier and longer, we should not stay inactive even if we are at home, away from exercise and exercise areas (Çelik and Yenal, 2020)
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