Correlation of Mental Health, Physical Activity, and Body Composition in American College Students After the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Abstract

Background: The restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced American college students to significantly reduce their daily energy expenditure and increase sedentary behavior. This presumably led to increased mental health symptoms, decreased physical activity levels, and the promotion of unhealthy eating habits. Methods: American college students completed pre-existing, well-validated surveys for both mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long Form). Body composition was assessed in-person with the use of an Inbody 570 device. Results: Of the 90 American college students (M age = 22.52 ± 4.54, 50 females) who participated in this study, depressive and anxious symptom scores consistent with 58% (N = 52) heightened symptomatology, 17% (N = 15) moderate borderline symptomatology, and 25% (N = 23) asymptomatology were reported. In regard to physical activity, 79% (N = 71) of the students were highly physically active, 18% (N = 16) were moderately active, and 3% (N = 3) reported low levels of physical activity. Additionally, 46% (N = 41) of the students maintained an unhealthy body fat percentage based on World Health Organization recommendations. Strong, significant relationships were found between anxiety and depression symptomatology and body fat percentage (P = .003) and skeletal muscle mass (P = .015), with said symptomatology increasing with added body fat and decreasing with added skeletal muscle mass. Conclusions: Future health interventions for American college students should be focused on strategies to reduce stress, anxiety, and depressive characteristics, as well as nutritional information on healthy eating, regardless of self-reported physical activity levels.