The impact of sitting time and physical activity on mental health during COVID-19 lockdown

Relationship between Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior, Spinal Curvatures, Endurance and Balance of the Trunk Muscles-Extended Physical Health Analysis in Young Adults

BACKGROUND

Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are associated with poor well-being in young people with adverse effects extending into adulthood. To date, there are many studies investigating the relationship between physical activity (PA) and posture, but there are no data on the relationship between the type and intensity of PA and sedentary behavior, their association with thoracic and lumbar spine angles, and with endurance and balance of the trunk muscles, especially in healthy young adults aged 18-25 years. Moreover, there are no data on the relationship between PA and sedentary behavior and musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary health, as well as quality of life (QoL) and sleep that would provide a more comprehensive picture of physical health status.

AIM

Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the extent to which PA and sedentary behavior are associated with each other and with changes in spinal curvatures, endurance and balance of trunk muscles in an extended analysis of physical health status in young adults aged 18-25 years by additionally including measures of body composition, cardiorespiratory capacity, and QoL and sleep.

METHODS

A total of 82 students (58% female, 42% male) aged 18-25 years completed all required tests. Primary outcome measures included the following: PA and sedentary behavior calculated from the long form of International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ-LF), spinal curvatures measured by a Spinal Mouse® device, endurance and balance of the trunk muscles measured using trunk endurance tests and their ratio.

RESULTS

Overall, 50% of students were classified as minimally active and 50% as health-enhancing PA (HEPA) active. The angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis showed no correlation with PA or time spent sitting. However, students with the lowest PA had significantly higher scores on the trunk extensor endurance test and trunk extensor/flexor endurance test ratio, indicating imbalanced trunk muscles. Moreover, these students spent the most their time sitting. Only PA of vigorous intensity and PA during recreation, leisure, and sports significantly correlated with QoL related to physical health. QoL related to physical and psychosocial health had significantly higher scores when students spent less time sitting. In addition, we found significantly better respiratory performance and SQ at higher PA values, i.e., PA during recreation, leisure, and sport.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that students with low PA levels and more time spent sitting have imbalanced trunk muscles, worse respiratory function, and poorer QoL and sleep. Moreover, these findings in college students may reflect their lifestyle and suggest that more PA needs to be promoted to prevent the development of chronic diseases including musculoskeletal disorders.

Physical Activity Levels and Predictors during COVID-19 Lockdown among Lebanese Adults: The Impacts of Sociodemographic Factors, Type of Physical Activity and Work Location

BACKGROUND

Although effective against COVID-19, national lockdowns have several deleterious behavioral and health effects, including physical inactivity. The objective of this study is to assess physical activity (PA) levels during lockdown and the predictors of PA among Lebanese adults, while comparing classical statistics to machine learning models.

METHODS

Data were collected using an online questionnaire, with PA being evaluated through the "International Physical Activity Questionnaire" (IPAQ)-long form. Machine learning models were applied to predict total PA ≥ 600 MET·min/week.

RESULTS

Among 795 participants, while 67.5% auto-declared a decrease in PA level during lockdown, 36.2% did not meet the minimum recommendations for PA. Multivariate analysis showed that participants who went to their workplace during lockdown had significantly higher total and job-related PA, higher walking and moderate PA, and lower sitting time. PA level and intensity increased with age, while sitting time decreased. Participants who practiced a combination of both outdoor and at-home workouts had higher total, housework and leisure-related PA, and higher moderate and vigorous-intensity PA. Machine learning models confirmed these findings as well as the importance of outdoor activity for total PA levels, with Random Forest being the highest-performing model.

CONCLUSIONS

Bringing to light the levels of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior, this study highlighted the importance of outdoor activity in contributing to PA.

Spatial machine learning for predicting physical inactivity prevalence from socioecological determinants in Chicago, Illinois, USA

The increase in physical inactivity prevalence in the USA has been associated with neighborhood characteristics. While several studies have found an association between neighborhood and health, the relative importance of each component related to physical inactivity or how this value varies geographically (i.e., across different neighborhoods) remains unexplored. This study ranks the contribution of seven socioecological neighborhood factors to physical inactivity prevalence in Chicago, Illinois, using machine learning models at the census tract level, and evaluates their predictive capabilities. First, we use geographical random forest (GRF), a recently proposed nonlinear machine learning regression method that assesses each predictive factor's spatial variation and contribution to physical inactivity prevalence. Then, we compare the predictive performance of GRF to geographically weighted artificial neural networks, another recently proposed spatial machine learning algorithm. Our results suggest that poverty is the most important determinant in the Chicago tracts, while on the other hand, green space is the least important determinant in the rise of physical inactivity prevalence. As a result, interventions can be designed and implemented based on specific local circumstances rather than broad concepts that apply to Chicago and other large cities.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10109-023-00415-y.

Physical Activity Levels, Eating Habits, and Well-Being Measures in Students of Healthcare Degrees in the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

When the first cases of COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus infection) were discovered, exceptional norms to fight the spread of the virus were established by applying movement restrictions (lockdown) in many countries. These unprecedented norms led to sedentary behaviours and less healthy diets which could persist for much longer after lockdown. The aim of this study was to analyse the physical activity, eating habits, self-perceived well-being, and toxic habits, as well as the perceived changes of these habits with respect to the pre-pandemic period, in a population of university students in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A single-centre, cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of university students of healthcare degrees. A total of 961 students (639 (66.5%) women and 322 (33.5%) men) signed the informed consent and completed the questionnaire. The study was conducted through an anonymous survey, which was voluntarily self-completed by the students on an online platform. The questionnaire was based on the Spanish Health Survey and it was divided into six main parts: demographic and anthropometric characteristics, physical activity, eating habits, well-being measures (sleeping habits, health state, and stress), toxic habits, and perception of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the variables described.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that, during the second year of the pandemic, statistically significant dependence was identified for those students that showed higher levels of physical activity with greater perceived physical activity (p < 0.05), healthier eating habits (p < 0.05), and a better self-perceived health state (p < 0.05), with respect to the 12 months before the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, there was a negative correlation between the sedentary students and greater perceived physical activity (p < 0.05). With regard to toxic habits and physical activity, a significant correlation was only detected between sedentary behaviour and cocaine consumption (p < 0.05). Analysing eating habits, it was observed that the students who smoked, consumed alcohol, and binge drank had low adherence to the Mediterranean diet (p < 0.05). In addition, those students with high stress levels slept less than 7 h (p < 0.05).

The effect of time spent sitting and excessive gaming on the weight status, and perceived weight stigma among Taiwanese young adults

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors (i.e., longer sitting time and excessive gaming) increased because governments across the globe adopted stringent mitigation strategies such as social distancing and lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus. Excessive gaming was one of the coping mechanisms used to deal with the pressure associated with the pandemic. Moreover, perceived weight stigma (PWS) and weight status became more salient concerns among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study sought to investigate the relationship between time spent sitting, excessive gaming, weight status, and PWS of Taiwanese Young adults. Additionally, weight status and PWS were examined as mediators between both sedentary behaviors.

Methods

This cross-sectional study involved 600 participants who were recruited through Taiwan universities. All participants completed a demographic questionnaire (including weight and height) and self-report measures including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF), the Perceived Weight Stigma Scale (PWSS), and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-short form (IGDS9-SF). PROCESS model was performed to test the potential mediation roles of weight status and PWS. Moreover, we categorized participants into two groups based on the sitting-time item in the IPAQ-SF: students whose sitting time was less than 8 h daily, and those more than 8 h daily.

Results

The group that had less than 8 h had significantly higher PWS and IGDS9-SF scores than the other group. Sitting time was negatively associated with weight status, PWS, and IGDS9-SF. Additionally, we found a significantly direct effect between time spent sitting and excessive gaming. Both weight status and PWS were significant mediators in the association between time spent sitting and excessive gaming.Conclusions: The present study demonstrated important negative correlates of excessive sedentary behaviors. Prevention efforts should focus on promoting physical activity and providing information to decrease sedentary behavior among university students.

Self-Management of Subclinical Common Mental Health Disorders (Anxiety, Depression and Sleep Disorders) Using Wearable Devices

RATIONALE

Common mental health disorders (CMD) (anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders) are among the leading causes of disease burden globally. The economic burden associated with such disorders is estimated at $2.4 trillion as of 2010 and is expected to reach $16 trillion by 2030. The UK has observed a 21-fold increase in the economic burden associated with CMD over the past decade. The recent COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for adopting technologies for mental health support and services, thereby increasing the reception of personal health data and wearables. Wearables hold considerable promise to empower users concerning the management of subclinical common mental health disorders. However, there are significant challenges to adopting wearables as a tool for the self-management of the symptoms of common mental health disorders.

AIMS

This review aims to evaluate the potential utility of wearables for the self-management of sub-clinical anxiety and depressive mental health disorders. Furthermore, we seek to understand the potential of wearables to reduce the burden on the healthcare system.

METHODOLOGY

a systematic review of research papers was conducted, focusing on wearable devices for the self-management of CMD released between 2018-2022, focusing primarily on mental health management using technology.

RESULTS

We screened 445 papers and analysed the reports from 12 wearable devices concerning their device type, year, biometrics used, and machine learning algorithm deployed. Electrodermal activity (EDA/GSR/SC/Skin Temperature), physical activity, and heart rate (HR) are the most common biometrics with nine, six and six reference counts, respectively. Additionally, while smartwatches have greater penetration and integration within the marketplace, fitness trackers have the most significant public value benefit of £513.9 M, likely due to greater retention.

A 'health message' on sustainable physical and mental health for the prolonged COVID-19 and other pandemics

The world has been living with another pandemic physical inactivity (PI) and sedentary behavior (SB) and of other nature for years. As social measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have been strengthened, the physical activity (PA) barrier has been hit and the PI/SB pandemic has been exacerbated, and in the current situation, triggered by its prolonged period, it is emerging as a problem to be considered in order to combat the PI/SB pandemic through PA and to maintain continuous physical and mental health. This review aims to summarize existing and recent studies on the effects of PA/SB on physical and mental health in preparation for the context of prolonged COVID-19 and provides an easy and fun way to motivate, access PA, and PA recommendations for maintaining physical and mental health. We performed search strategies on PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, and used a literature review of the current available literature on the COVID-19 and the effects of PI, SB, and PA on physical and mental health. The clinical relevance of this review shows that integrating PA into daily life and reducing prolonged sitting time is an important strategy for continuing a healthy life physically and mentally. As a result, for those who have not yet incorporated exercise as part of their daily routine, fun and easy access to PA suggests that in the long run, may be an opportunity to implement newer habits. In addition, in an emergency such as the COVID-19 quarantine period or other pandemics, it is essential for one to maintain health through PA at home, and underscore the 'health message' of the current review that reducing SB, progressively increasing PA, and doing more PA regularly in the current context prolonged COVID-19 can bring significant benefits to long-term habits and physical and mental health.

The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress and Academic Procrastination between Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Depressive symptoms, a prevalent mood illness, significantly harm college students' physical and mental health. Individuals have experienced some degree of psychological harm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking this into account, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) and depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the mediating roles of perceived stress and academic procrastination. A total of 586 college students were subjected to the Physical Activity Scale (PARS-3), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students (PASS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Findings from this research demonstrated that there was a significant positive correlation between perceived stress, academic procrastination, and depressive symptoms, while PA was significantly negatively correlated with perceived stress, academic procrastination, and depressive symptoms. The results of the chain mediation analysis showed that PA had a significant direct effect on depressive symptoms. Perceived stress, academic procrastination, and perceived stress-academic procrastination had significant mediating and chain mediating effects on the relationship between PA and depressive symptoms. In conclusion, PA among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic affects their depressive symptoms directly and indirectly through the independent mediating effect of perceived stress and academic procrastination, as well as the chain mediating effect of perceived stress and academic procrastination.

Perceived Physical and Mental Health and Healthy Eating Habits During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the lives of people around the world since 2020. This study aims to reveal perceived impact of the coronavirus pandemic on physical and mental health and eating behaviors among people with disabilities and without disabilities in South Korea, as compared to other countries.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of a prospective cross-sectional study which was conducted with a web-based global survey.

RESULTS

Among the 3,550 responses from 65 countries, 2,621 responses with nation information were set as full data, 189 for South Korea and 2,432 for other countries. In Korea, there was no significant difference in healthy lifestyle behaviors between people with and without disabilities before the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived physical and mental health and changes in eating habits during the COVID-19 pandemic showed no significant difference between people with and without disabilities in Korea. There were significant differences in physical health and dietary habits, but no differences in its effect on mental health between people living in Korea and other countries in both people with and without disabilities groups. In other words, more than 60% of people in all groups (disability vs. non-disability, Korea vs. non-Korea) reported worse mental health than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION

In Korea and other countries, mental health showed a tendency to deteriorate regardless of the presence or absence of disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of healthy eating habits, Koreans were relatively less affected than people from other countries.

Healthy Dwelling: Design of Biophilic Interior Environments Fostering Self-Care Practices for People Living with Migraines, Chronic Pain, and Depression

The benefits of biophilic interior design have been recognized by healthcare facilities, but residential environments receive relatively less attention with respect to improving the health of people living with chronic diseases. Recent “stay-at-home” restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized the importance of creating interior spaces that directly and indirectly support physical and mental health. In this viewpoint article, we discuss opportunities for combining biophilic interventions with interior design, fostering disease-specific self-care. We provide examples of designing residential spaces integrating biophilic interventions, light therapy, relaxation opportunities, mindfulness meditation, listening to music, physical activities, aromatherapy, and quality sleep. These modalities can provide the clinical benefits of reducing migraine headaches and chronic pain, as well as improving depressive symptoms. The disease-specific interior environment can be incorporated into residential homes, workplaces, assisted-living residences, hospitals and hospital at home programs. This work aims to promote a cross-disciplinary dialogue towards combining biophilic design and advances in lifestyle medicine to create therapeutic interior environments and to improve healthcare outcomes.

Physical Activity, Mental Health and Wellbeing during the First COVID-19 Containment in New Zealand: A Cross-Sectional Study

Strategies implemented worldwide to contain COVID-19 outbreaks varied in severity across different countries, and established a new normal for work and school life (i.e., from home) for many people, reducing opportunities for physical activity. Positive relationships of physical activity with both mental and physical health are well recognised, and therefore the aim was to ascertain how New Zealand’s lockdown restrictions impacted physical activity, mental health and wellbeing. Participants (n = 4007; mean ± SD: age 46.5 ± 14.7 years, 72% female, 80.7% New Zealand European) completed (10–26 April 2020) an online amalgamated survey (Qualtrics): International Physical Activity Questionnaire: Short Form; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-9; World Health Organisation-Five Well-Being Index; Stages of Change Scale. Positive dose–response relationships between physical activity levels and wellbeing scores were demonstrated for estimates that were unadjusted (moderate activity OR 3.79, CI 2.88–4.92; high activity OR 8.04, CI 6.07–10.7) and adjusted (confounding variables: age, gender, socioeconomic status, time sitting and co-morbidities) (moderate activity 1.57, CI 1.11–2.52; high activity 2.85, CI 1.97–4.14). The study results support previous research demonstrating beneficial effects of regular physical activity on mental health and wellbeing. Governments may use these results to promote meeting physical activity guidelines in order to protect mental health and wellbeing during the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and future pandemics.