Evaluation of the Physical Activity Levels of the Students in a Physical Education and Sports Science Department Before and During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since Covid-19 is highly contagious, people were asked to go into quarantine, and the education system was interrupted as a result. In our study, we aimed to evaluate changes in the physical activity levels of the students attending the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science (PESF) Before the Coronavirus Pandemic (BCP) and During Coronavirus Pandemic (DCP). 131 students attending PESF were included in the study. The long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to determine physical activity levels. The IPAQ data was obtained at two separate times–as BCP and DCP. The IBM SPSS software package was used in the statistical analysis of the data obtained, and the Mann-Whitney U and two-way analysis of variance tests were conducted. There was a decrease in the physical activity levels of PESF students related to work, transportation, housework and leisure time at the rates of 35.40%, 21.66%, 7.43%, and 31.66%, respectively, in terms of BCP and DCP. However, it was observed that the highest decline level was 46.69% in intense physical activity. In the evaluation of BCP and DCP, a significant difference was found in transportation (p: 0.001; d: 0.440), leisure time (p: 0.001; d: 447), time spent sitting in a weekday (p: 0.026; d: 0.291), walking (p: 0.006; d: 0.362), and total physical activity levels (p: 0.005; d: 0.368). There a significant difference in the activity level related to time spent sitting in a weekend according to gender differences (p < 0.005). According to the IPAQ assessment conducted as BCP and DCP, a significant decrease in the physical activity levels of PESF students was observed during the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 infection. These results should not be ignored because a significant decrease in physical activity may cause negative effects on blood glucose levels and body composition, increase the risk of depression and anxiety disorders, and decrease the quality of life and immune system.