Abstract
Background: This study examined the effects of a five-month lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic on physical fitness parameters in urban adolescent male and female students. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-three male and female students (age: 15.8 ± 0.3 years) who attended the fourth grade of the same high school during the years 2016–2017 (first control group), 2018–2019 (second control group) and 2020–2021 (lockdown group) took part in the present study. Results: The percentage of overweight and obese students, according to body mass index, increased in males from 16.0% (2016–2017) and 14.6% (2018–2019), to 36.7% in 2020–2021 (p < 0.01), and in females from 8.6% (2016–2017) and 7.0% (2016–2017), to 25.6% in 2020–2021 (p < 0.01). Lower body fitness, as assessed by jumping, sprinting and agility tests, was impaired for both males and females after the lockdown compared with the 2016–2017 and 2018–2019 cohorts (vertical jumps: 10.4–15.1%; p < 0.01; d = 0.58–1.01, 30 m sprint: 3.7–4.9%; p < 0.01; d = 0.62–0.74; 505 agility test: from 6.1% to 9.4%; p < 0.01; d = 0.80–1.04). However, flexibility and performance in upper-body fitness tests (handgrip maximum isometric strength and medicine ball throws with different loads) was significantly reduced only in males after the lockdown (p < 0.05 to 0.01). Conclusions: These results suggest that a five-month lockdown negative influenced the physical fitness of adolescent students. Notably, greater reductions were observed in upper body strength, power and flexibility in males than in females. These results highlight the need to maintain strength, power and body mass during long periods of inactivity in adolescent populations.
Highlights
Since December 2019, the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected more than 250 million of people worldwide [1], and in March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic [2]
Taking into consideration the above and the sparsity of studies in adolescents, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a 5-month lockdown during the year 2020–2021 on a wide range of fitness parameters in urban adolescent male and female students compared with their counterparts of the same age of the previous years: 2016–2017 and 2018–2019
Tukey’s post hoc tests indicated that both male and female students had a significantly greater body mass in the 2020–21 year compared with their counterparts in 2016–2017 and 2018–2019, respectively (Table 1)
Summary
Since December 2019, the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected more than 250 million of people worldwide [1], and in March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic [2]. This study examined the effects of a five-month lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic on physical fitness parameters in urban adolescent male and female students. Results: The percentage of overweight and obese students, according to body mass index, increased in males from 16.0% (2016–2017) and 14.6% (2018–2019), to 36.7% in 2020–2021 (p < 0.01), and in females from. Flexibility and performance in upper-body fitness tests (handgrip maximum isometric strength and medicine ball throws with different loads) was significantly reduced only in males after the lockdown (p < 0.05 to 0.01). Greater reductions were observed in upper body strength, power and flexibility in males than in females. These results highlight the need to maintain strength, power and body mass during long periods of inactivity in adolescent populations
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