Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Emotional Wellbeing of Population During COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Abstract

Background and Objective: The current COVID-19 situation has restrained the movement of individuals along with instilling fear in them. COVIDThis study assesses the level of physical activity, screen time and emotional status of the individuals during the current COVID-19 situation in the population of Pakistan. Methods: The study was carried out in May 2020. The sample size was 385 and the snowball sampling technique was employed. The data was collected through a self-administered online questionnaire and included subjects from all provinces of Pakistan. The form comprised of four parts including socio-demographic details, self-reported screen time as well as SPANE and IPAQ-short form questionnaires. The data was analysed using SPSS version 25. Results: Out of 385 individuals, 89.6% reported inadequate physical activity. Among these, the majority comprised of females (92.3% vs. 80% in males). It was determined that there were higher positive affective scores in males (28.6 ± 8.1) compared to those in females (27.5 ± 7.7). The average sedentary screen time was 7.24 ± 3.76 hours that was maximally reported in the younger age group (19 years and lesser). Moreover, a downward trend of negative affective scores, from vigorous to light physical activity level, was noted.

Normative Reference Standard for Handgrip Strength among Adolescent Students in South Punjab Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The reason for the difference with respect to the age and gender is usually interpreted by individual differences for instance physical differences, difference in muscle mass, total body weight, and stature (Sherriff et al, 2008). Moreover data from a recent study in Pakistan depicted an overall increase in screen time among youth, which might be accounted for low levels of handgrip strength as literature supports that low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour may affect the strength of an individual (Ijaz et al, 2020).…”