The Impact of Quarantine on Body Image and Lifestyle Habits in Resistance Training Practitioners

Abstract

Introduction In order to curb the abrupt advance of “Coronavirus Disease 2019” (COVID-19) and prevent the collapse of the health system, authorities around the world have opted for social distancing strategies that include closing gyms, among other measures. Objectives This study analyzed the effect of social distancing on resistance training practitioners’ quality of life and perception of body image in silhouette. Methods The volunteers were contacted through social media; data were collected between April 13 and 19, 2020, through a structured questionnaire, comprised of an Informed Consent Form, four questions about COVID-19 and restrictive measures; and twenty-nine questions designed to characterize the individuals’ habits; as well as the Short Form Health Survey 36 questionnaire. All the questionnaires were applied over the Internet, using Google Forms®. After collection, the data were tabulated and interpreted using the software program AppleNumbers®, and subsequently presented as mean, standard deviation and percentiles. Results The results revealed changes in perception of body image and decreased frequency and satisfaction with training. There was also an increase in sedentary behavior, food intake, and amount of sleep; and a reduction in parameters related to health and quality of life. Conclusions The strategy of social distancing, adopted to curb the progress of COVID-19, has harmful consequences for resistance training practitioners, such as increased calorie intake, stress and anxiety, as well as possible psychological effects. These consequences, in turn, lead to changes in self-perception of body image and in the quality of training. Level of Evidence III; Cross-sectional study of non-consecutive patients; without uniformly applied reference standard.

Body dissatisfaction among undergraduate medical students in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…(14,19,20,21) Since the present study was carried out in a context of coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it is relevant to consider that factors related to this scenario may have influenced the results obtained, as a bias, increasing the level of body dissatisfaction among students. Such a hypothesis is corroborated by Castro et al, (22) who, in a recent study, investigated the level of body dissatisfaction during this pandemic and presented variables, such as confinement, reduced physical exercise, and increased unhealthy diets, as intensifiers of body dissatisfaction. In another study, Swami et al (23) verified increased stress and anxiety, generated by social isolation during the pandemic, were also related to greater body dissatisfaction.…”