The Relationship between Physical Activity and Quality of life during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Female and Male Physical Education Teachers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the physical education teachers’ leisure-time physical activity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact level of the COVID-19 pandemic on their quality of life. A total of 155 physical education teachers, with an average age of 42.39, participated in the research. To collect data, the Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire and the COVID-19 Impact on Quality of Life Scale were used in the study. The results obtained in the research showed that the mean score of COVID-19 impact on teachers’ quality of life is 3.30 (minimum 1; maximum 5). This score on the scale showed that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the quality of life of teachers, above the average. The research findings showed that there was statistically no significant difference between the leisure-time physical activity levels of male and female physical education teachers and the level of impact of COVID-19 on teachers’ quality of life. It was also found that there was a negative significant relationship between teachers’ leisure-time physical activity level during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact level of COVID-19 on the teachers’ quality of life and that as the teachers’ leisure-time physical activity level increases, the negative impact of COVID-19 on their quality of life decreases. As a result, in this study, the associated role of physical activity in reducing the effects of factors that negatively affect the quality of life of individuals, including the COVID-19 pandemic, was revealed.