The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown During Spring 2020 on Personal Trainers' Working and Living Conditions

Utilization of Norwegian crisis shelters before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The measures introduced to control the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdowns and physical distancing, exerted considerable influence on society.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to examine (1) the prevalence of people seeking Norwegian crisis shelters for domestic violence during the first period of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) compared to the year before, (2) the demography and type of violence among first-time visitors and (3) to compare the utilization of the crisis shelters and characteristics of the users between shelters in the capital and the other shelters throughout Norway.

DESIGN

Observational study.

METHOD

The study was based on data from each crisis shelter in 2019 and 2020. Comparison between the 2 years were based on corresponding periods (12 March until 31 December) and analysed with t-test and chi-square tests.

RESULTS

Total use of crises centres, residential stays and daytime visits were lower during the pandemic (n = 7102) compared to the pre-pandemic period (n = 11 814). There was a shift from daytime visits to phone contacts when the restrictions were established. There was a higher proportion of residential stays versus daytime visits during the pandemic (21.5%) compared to the pre-pandemic period (15.4%) (p ⩽ 0.001). The proportion of first-time users was higher during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic period both for residents (52.4% vs 47.1%) and daytime visitors (10.9% vs 9.0%). Among first-time crisis shelter residents during the pandemic period, fewer reported having children at home compared to the pre-pandemic period. The background of the crisis-shelter users did not differ between the capital and rest of Norway, but the capital had relatively more residents with psychological violence and threats during the pandemic.

CONCLUSION

The utilization of Norwegian crisis shelters, especially daytime visits was lower during the pandemic. There was a shift in daytime contacts from visits to phone contact at the pandemic outbreak. To ensure that information about available crisis shelters reaches the total population, these shelters should be prepared for a higher volume of phone contacts in a future pandemic situation.

Coach leadership in a crisis context: Investigating effective coach behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic with a process view

Introduction

Drawing from the crisis leadership conceptualization, this study aims to investigate coaches' opinion patterns on effective leadership behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used a process view to explore how coaches as leaders act in pre, during, and post-crisis phases.

Method

Thirty-two fulltime professional coaches (28 males and 4 females) from individual and team sports who experienced the entire COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to July 2021 in the United Kingdom were invited to express their perceptions of effective leadership behaviors. The study used Q methodology to analyze coaches' perceptions and experiences.

Result

The study revealed that the most effective coach leadership behaviors occurred during-crisis phase, which has the most positive ratings (n = 48) compared to the pre-and post-crisis phases (n = 18). The study's main findings highlighted different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic demand various effective countermeasures from coaches. These practical and successful experiences were summarized as: division of labor, athlete-centered, team-driven, consulting, safe environment, and online coaching.

Discussion

The findings of this study further highlight (1) the importance of coach leadership in creating a safe environment as it provides a much better platform to prepare for a pre-crisis stage, (2) that coaches should employ more positive than negative behaviors while interacting with team members more frequently especially during the crisis period, reducing athletes' negative feelings such as anxiety and worry, and (3) that the online training-related activities and interactions during the crisis time can be expanded to noncrisis times, as a crisis event can have positive implications for the future if handled properly.

Lockdowns and Physical Activities: Sports in the Time of COVID

As aging causes challenges in several countries globally, more and more people are suffering from bad health conditions. Nowadays, COVID-19 causes many problems—and one of the root causes of these problems is the isolation of people from each other. The aim of our article is to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on people’s physical activity. Physical activity is strongly correlated with health status and health preservation is very important to minimize the negative effects of the pandemic. In order to investigate this topic, we prepared an extended literature review, citing the most important sources of COVID-related health-preservation issues. Our results showed that the negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic have caused a decrease in physical activities in several cases. A reduction in possible physical activities has a potential negative effect on the life expectancies of elderly people. In order to underline the importance of physical activities, we prepared an extended literature review, aiming to summarize the available knowledge related to COVID-19. As a conclusion we recommend to strengthen, maintain, and develop available sporting possibilities for people. The most important of these recommendations is the development of physical activities that are available for free.

Fitness and the Crisis: Impacts of COVID-19 on Active Living and Life Satisfaction in Austria

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted human lifestyles across the world. Lockdowns and home confinement decreased prior opportunities for everyday physical activity. To retrospectively assess how the Austrian population coped with these aspects of the crisis, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey from March to September 2021 using a structured questionnaire in German. In total, 1214 participants (56.9% females, mean age 37.0 years) living across Austria shared self-reported information on sociodemographic characteristics, indoor and outdoor physical activity, reasons for being outdoors, and life satisfaction before and after the emergence of the virus. As a result, overall indoor physical activity significantly decreased in a before–during COVID-19 crisis comparison, although exercising at home with online instructions increased by about 63%. Exercising outdoors increased overall, specifically in periurban forests and rural areas, both by about 9%. Life satisfaction decreased significantly by 19.7% (p < 0.001). Outdoor public places and natural environments gained importance due to restrictions affecting access to sport facilities. Further research is needed to evaluate benefits and therapeutic values of outdoor nature for physical and mental health in times of a global pandemic to maintain resilient societies, as it might impact future active living and life satisfaction.