Investigation of the Effect of COVID-19 Outbreak on Physical Activity, Perceived Stress, Physical Activity Awareness and Exercise Barriers: A National Study

Abstract

Background: The new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) seems to have had a major impact on physical activity behavior globally. Therefore, it was aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on physical activity, perceived stress, awareness of physical activity, and exercise barriers nationally. Methods: The survey was sent on-line and data were collected between May 8 and May 31, 2020. The physical activity levels of the respondents were evaluated with the Physical Activity (PA) Questionnaire - Short Form and stress levels with the Perceived Stress Scale. The awareness of exercise and barriers to exercise were questioned with qualitative questions. One-way ANOVA, the Chi-squared test, and Pearson Correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data. Findings: Evaluation was made of 1087 participants aged 18-76 years. During the COVID-19 outbreak, 70% of Turkish adults had inadequate physical activity, which was a higher rate than national and global prevalence. It was observed that the perceived stress level was different in terms of PA levels (F: 23·948, p Interpretation: The precautions taken during the COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey were seen to have a negative effect on physical activity and stress levels, and the most affected groups in this outbreak were females and young adults. Home-based exercises can support the protection of physical and mental health, and avoid the risk of inactivity-related health problems during the COVID-19 outbreak. Funding: There is no funding support for the study.Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the IRB and was conducted in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration.