Evaluation of health-related quality of life in physically active and physically inactive students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran

Seating Behaviour of Students before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Occupancy Monitoring with PIR Sensors at the UCL Bartlett Library

Since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in China, social and physical distancing has been promoted worldwide as an effective community mitigation strategy. However, our understanding remains limited regarding how students would resume their activities and use of libraries when the restrictions to manage the spread of coronavirus were lifted. Understanding students' seating behaviour in libraries is required to guarantee that the libraries meet the needs and preferences of students and promote students' health and well-being and satisfaction with the library. This paper aims to explore the changes in the use of study spaces before and after the pandemic. Occupancy data from the UCL Bartlett Library collected at 10-min intervals from motion sensors located underneath desks was used to assess the occupancy within the library and which was then compared to characteristics of the space. This study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted students' use of the library as well as how much time they spent there. While seats with a good combination of daylight, outdoor view and privacy were in most demand before the pandemic, distance from other students seems to be the priority after the pandemic. Students' seating preferences appear to be also influenced by the position of desk dividers after COVID-19. Future research should focus on assessing and proposing new seating arrangements and developing strategies to promote students' satisfaction with libraries in response to changes in students' seating behaviours.

Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Activity and Lifestyles in Post-Confinement Sports Science Undergraduates

The aim of this study was to assess whether the infection by SARS-CoV-2 has significantly influenced physical activity, diet, alcohol, and drug consumption habits, as well as the quality of life of students of the bachelor’s degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted, which included socio-demographic questions related to the COVID-19 disease. Physical activity was analyzed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), adherence to the Mediterranean diet using the PREDIMED questionnaire, alcohol consumption using the AUDIT questionnaire, and drug consumption using the DAST-10 questionnaire. Health-related quality of life was analyzed with the SF-12 questionnaire. Our results reveal that those who engaged in either vigorous physical activity or, on the contrary, very low-intensity physical activity, were affected by the SARS-CoV-2 disease, which reduced the average weekly time they spent on their type of activity. However, those who previously performed moderate activities have managed to stay on the same fitness level despite having suffered from SARS-CoV-2 disease (p = 0.433). In conclusion, general health is affected by suffering from the COVID-19 disease, inadequate eating habits, substance use, and the performance of vigorous or very low-intensity of physical activity.

Impact of COVID-19 severity on health-related quality of life among Saudi adult patients

COVID-19 patients may experience varying degrees of symptom severity, significantly impacting the health-related quality of life. As a result, the current study examines the impact of symptom severity on health-related quality of life among Saudi adult COVID- 19 patients. In this cross-sectional study 310 adult COVID-19 patients were recruited through a snowball technique in Saudi Arabia. We used a questionnaire (SF-12 RAND tool questionnaire) that included three parts: sociodemographic factors, perception of degree severity of COVID-19 symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Out of 310 COVID-19 adult patients, 200 (64.5%) were female, 110 (35.5%) were between 30-49 years old. The mean scores of the HRQoL, physical components summary (PCS), and mental components summary (MCS) were 58.11±17.02, 71.32±23.72, and 44.91±17.94, respectively. Patients with very severe symptoms had the lowest HRQoL mean rank (120.39, P=0.023). There was a strong positive correlation between HRQoL and PCS (0.852) and HRQoL and MCS (0.730). However, PCS and MCS had a weak positive correlation (0.292). The severity of COVID-19 symptoms had a significant impact on HRQoL. Thus, it is essential to enhance the uptake of vaccines to decrease the risk of infections and avoid impact on quality of life.

Healthy Community-Life Circle Planning Combining Objective Measurement and Subjective Evaluation: Theoretical and Empirical Research

BACKGROUND

The world faces vast health challenges, and urban residents living in high-density areas have even greater demand for healthy lifestyles.

METHODS

Based on the data of points of interest, a field survey, and an interview, we explored the healthy community-life circle in the downtown area of Chengdu, China from two perspectives: objective measurement and subjective perception of residents. We evaluated the coverage rate and convenience in accessing eight types of health service facilities within a 15-min walk using linear and logistics regression models to explore the degree of resident satisfaction with facilities and influencing factors.

RESULTS

Results showed significant differences in coverage rates between different districts. The overall convenience in accessing health service facilities decreased gradually from the city center to the outskirts. The social environment, the layout of health service facilities, and residents' travel habits were related to health service facility satisfaction. Results also showed significant differences in various facilities' accessibility satisfaction between objective measurement and residents' perception measurement. Compared with subjective measurement, the objective measurements of accessibility for sports venues (objectively measured average minus perceived average: -1.310), sports zones (-0.740), and specialized hospitals (-1.081) were lower; those for community hospitals (0.095), clinics (1.025), and pharmacies (0.765) were higher; and facility accessibility measured by subjective perception had a more significant impact on health facility satisfaction. Pharmacies (OR: 1.932) and community hospitals (OR: 1.751) had the largest impact among the eight types of facilities.

CONCLUSION

This study proposed to construct a healthy community-life circle with a category and hierarchy system.

Physical Activity and Exercise Addiction During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Italy

Severe restrictive measures were implemented globally to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic leading to significant lifestyle changes and impacting on both the physical and the mental health of citizens. Caught by the fear of getting sick, some individuals have adopted behaviors which favored the development of exercise addiction (EA). Our aim was to evaluate physical activity habits and the risk of EA in the general Italian population during phase 1 of the lockdown. The role of appearance anxiety (AA), self-compassion, and use of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) as predictors of EA development were investigated. A comparison between physically active subjects with the inactive ones was also included. Between April and May 2020, an online survey was conducted across Italy. Nine hundred thirty-six answers were collected. The rate of EA in the physically active sample (782 subjects) was 4.1%. The physically active group showed higher SCS scores and a greater use of PIEDs. Of the physically active participants, 84.2% reported variations in their fitness routine. Perceived benefit of exercising resulted significantly higher in those with EA. Subjects with EA reported stronger motivation in engaging in physical activity as for "physical wellness," "psychological well-being," and "sexual attractiveness and confidence in relationship." A higher level of AA, a lower level of self-compassion, and a higher perceived benefit of exercising during lockdown were all significant predictors for the presence of EA. Our findings suggest that the fear of getting sick from Covid-19, combined with radical changes in the lifestyles induced by the lockdown and individual personological characteristics, can favor the development of EA and related phenomena in the general population.

Dietary assessment and effect of Pilates exercises on quality of life, body composition, and physical fitness in Iranian postmenopausal women

Menopause is an important period of life for women, all of whom experience this natural state. However, awareness of the bodily changes during this period is of great significance. Hence, not paying attention to the dietary, physical, and psychological criteria can reduce the quality of women’s lives. This study aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL), body composition, and physical fitness in postmenopausal women after Pilates exercises. Thirty postmenopausal Iranian women were randomly divided into Pilates (performed for 8 weeks) and control groups. The HRQoL Questionnaire (SF-12) was filled out, and a three-day record of food intake was also kept for dietary assessment. The diet of the women consisted of mean values of 1,923 Kcal daily energy, 16% protein, 72% carbohydrate, 12% fat, and 11.32 mg iron. Calcium, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin E intake were respectively 73, 87.5, 81.7 and 83.53% of the recommended daily allowance. Pilates exercises had a significant effect on flexibility (P=0.002), endurance (P=0.001), muscle strength (P=0.001), body mass index (P=0.001), lean mass (P=0.003), body fat percentage (P=0.001), and quality of life (P=0.001). Therefore, Pilates is an appropriate training to increase body fitness and improve body composition, lean mass, and quality of life in postmenopausal women.