Mental health and physical activity considerations in the pediatric population during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic

Abstract

Children have several worries concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, such as fear of contracting COVID-19, play deprivation and lack of recreational activities. Anxieties about COVID-19 and its containment measures have adversely affected the mental health and well-being of children. Moreover, parents' economic hardship/financial distress, school closures, lack of peer interactions, loneliness, and home confinement may affect a child's mood state and emotional well-being in the COVID-19 era. Setting up lifestyle intervention as early as possible might mitigate the long-term mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among children. A Lifestyle intervention comprising various types of physical activity (PA) designed for improving cognitive functioning, and mood states are required to improve mental health and well-being among children in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to emphasize the association between PA, which is an avenue for social interactions, and mental health among children in the era of COVID-19. PA has a positive impact on child mental health and well-being. On the other hand, sedentariness and loneliness are detrimental to a child's mental health and psychological well-being in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need for various community health agencies to promote PA among children through family-based intervention. Parents should encourage their children to engage regularly in moderate-intensity PA at home or in a safe green space (e.g. parks and community gardens).