The Role of Physical Activity in the Reduction of Generalised Anxiety Disorder in Young Adults in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Physical activity is critically important not only for physical but also for mental health. Exercise may be a beneficial form of therapy for young adults with anxiety disorders. The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the public, including young adults, in terms of their mental well-being and opportunities for physical activity. The study aimed to identify the influence of physical activity (PA) on generalised anxiety in young adults. It also assessed the changes which occurred in the level of PA and in generalised anxiety in young adults as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was carried out online with 506 young adults aged 18 to 34 years (=24.67 years ± 4.23 years). Respondents provided two answers to each question, i.e., information relating to the last 7 days during the pandemic (first hard lockdown), and to a period of 7 days before the pandemic (retrospective). The levels of physical activity were measured using 7-item International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ–SF), whereas the level of generalised anxiety was assessed using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) questionnaire. During the pandemic there was a significant correlation between the level of generalised anxiety and the level of physical activity reported by the respondents (p = 0.048). A higher level of physical activity corresponded to lower level of generalized anxiety in young adults. During the pandemic, young adults spent significantly less time performing physical activity (8752.5 vs. 6174.6 metabolic equivalents (MET) min/week, p < 0.001), they spent more time engaging in sedentary behaviours (Me = 240 vs. Me = 300 min/day, p < 0.001), and they walked much less (from Me = 6930.0 (MET) min/week vs. 3861.0 (MET) min/week (44.29% decrease). Furthermore, after the outbreak of the pandemic the level of perceived generalised anxiety increased significantly (p < 0.001). Physical activity may play an important role in reducing anxiety disorder in young adults. During the COVID-19 pandemic young adults were significantly less involved in PA, which adversely affected their physical and mental condition. The importance of sufficient PA should be emphasised during this specific period, particularly among young adults.

Determinants of the Health-Promoting Behaviors Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Non-communicable Diseases During the Post-Covid-19 Era

“…The HPBS measures the HPBs of older adults with NCDs in the "new normal" era of the COVID-19 pandemic. The HPBS was originally developed in Thai (26) with 19-item questionnaires and comprises seven subscales: (1) Nutrition, (2) exercise, (3) smoking, (4) alcohol drinking, (5) stress management, (6) rational drug use, and (7) preventive COVID-19 infection. An example of one item on the HPBS is "You eat clean and cooked food."…”

Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the <i>Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale</i> (GAD-7) in a non-clinical sample of employees during pandemic crisis

“…So far, the Polish version of the GAD-7 has not been validated. The authors who used it mainly for research during the COVID-19 pandemic did not publish any psychometric properties [26] or reported reliability measures solely [5,27,28]. Moreover, these studies omitted data regarding the professional activity of respondents.…”

Asociación entre los niveles de actividad física y los síntomas de depresión y ansiedad en estudiantes de Medicina Humana

“…Se conoce que la actividad física está asociada a una menor incidencia de depresión (11). Diversos estudios han evaluado la asociación entre la actividad física y los síntomas de depresión y ansiedad en estudiantes universitarios durante la pandemia de la COVID-19 (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17). La mayoría de ellos han encontrado que la actividad física y el nivel de sedentarismo se encuentran asociados con los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión; sin embargo, también existen antecedentes que no reportan dicha asociación (18).…”