Sedentary Behaviors and Physical Activity of Italian Undergraduate Students during Lockdown at the Time of CoViD-19 Pandemic.

Francesca Gallè,Osvalda De Giglio,Federica Valeriani,Stefano Ferracuti,Giuseppina Caggiano,Vincenzo Romano Spica,Christian Napoli,Giovanna Da Molin,Eduardo Alfonso Parisi,Elita Anna Sabella,Giuliana Valerio,Giorgio Liguori,Carmela Protano,Maria Teresa Montagna,Giovanni Battista Orsi

doi:10.3390/ijerph17176171

Abstract

Background: From March to May 2020, lockdown measures were adopted in Italy to contain the epidemic of the novel Coronavirus. People were forced to restrict their movement and social contacts, therefore having a higher risk of inactivity. This study, carried out among Italian undergraduates, explored their sedentary and physical activities (PA) during the lockdown with respect to their previous habits. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was administered once to students attending three Italian universities after the end of lockdown. Results: A total of 1430 students (mean age 22.9 ± 3.5 years, 65.5% females) completed the questionnaire. All the sedentary behaviors increased significantly, and all the physical activities decreased significantly during the lockdown. Time spent using electronic devices showed the highest increase (+52.4 min/day), and walking the greatest decrease (−365.5 min/week). Being younger than 22 years old, female, and previously active, attending the universities of Naples and Rome and having at least one graduate parent were associated with the achievement of recommended levels of PA even during the lockdown. Conclusions: This study highlights the reduction of PA among Italian undergraduates in the course of home-confinement due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. The practice of adequate PA during the lockdown was mainly associated with the previous adoption of an active lifestyle. Promoting active lifestyles during the non-pandemic period may have had positive effects also in case of lockdown.

Highlights

Since its onset, the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has posed important health challenges to populations worldwide, taking into account specific epidemiological contexts [1,2,3]
The great part of the Italian population was forced to live in home-confinement for weeks, increasing the risk of reducing their physical activity (PA) and of adopting sedentary behaviors, intended as those behaviors performed in a sitting or reclining posture requiring an energy expenditure
This study aimed to assess the changes in sedentary behaviors and physical activities (PA) among Italian undergraduates during the lockdown related to the CoViD-19 pandemic

Summary

Introduction

The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has posed important health challenges to populations worldwide, taking into account specific epidemiological contexts [1,2,3]. Disease (CoViD-19), many governments adopted response measures that had important physical and psychological implications for individuals [1,2,4,5,6]. In Italy, where the CoViD-19 epidemic started in February 2020, lockdown measures were applied first in the northern regions and subsequently in the whole Italian territory [7,8]. The great part of the Italian population was forced to live in home-confinement for weeks, increasing the risk of reducing their physical activity (PA) and of adopting sedentary behaviors, intended as those behaviors performed in a sitting or reclining posture requiring an energy expenditure. From March to May 2020, lockdown measures were adopted in Italy to contain the epidemic of the novel Coronavirus. All the sedentary behaviors increased significantly, and all the physical activities decreased significantly during the lockdown

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