COVID-19 and Quarantine: Expanding Understanding of How to Stay Physically Active at Home

Effects of running-based versus body-weight-based high-intensity interval training on physical fitness in healthy adolescents

Objectives: High-intensity interval training improves aerobic endurance, but the effectiveness of different training protocols is unclear. This study compared the effects of running-based high-intensity interval training (R-HIIT) and body weight-based high-intensity interval training (B-HIIT) on physical fitness in adolescents.

Methods: This was a pre-and post-test quasi-experimental design in which a seventh-grade natural class was randomly selected from three homogeneous middle schools, and then the three natural classes were randomly divided into three groups: the R-HIIT group (n = 54), the B-HIIT group (n = 55), and the control group (Con, n = 57). Both intervention groups exercised twice a week for 12 weeks with a 2:1 (1 min:30 s) load-interval ratio and exercise intensity controlled at 70%–85% maximum heart rate. R-HIIT was in the form of running, and B-HIIT was in the form of resistance exercises using the participants’ body weight. The control group was instructed to continue their normal behavior. cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength and endurance, and speed were measured before and after the intervention. Statistical differences between and within groups were determined using repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results: Compared to the baseline, both the R-HIIT and B-HIIT intervention groups significantly improved CRF, muscle strength, and speed (p < 0.05). The B-HIIT group was significantly better than R-HIIT in improving CRF (4.48 mL/kg/min vs 3.34 mL/kg/min, p < 0.05), and only the B-HIIT improved sit-up muscle endurance (ηp2 = 0.30, p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The B-HIIT protocol was significantly more effective than the R-HIIT protocol in developing CRF and improving muscle health indicators.

Coping and Resilience Among Endurance Athletes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 lockdowns constrained the training opportunities of athletes resulting in physical and mental hardship. In this study, athletes involved in the outdoor endurance sports of running, cycling or swimming were recruited through Facebook groups and using online mailing lists. The final sample (n = 3,551) consisted of 576 female respondents (16.2%), and 2,975 male respondents (83.8%). The mean age of participants was 44.13  years (min = 16, max = 83, and SD = 9.84). An online survey was designed to measure variables relevant to athletes' mental health; resilience and emotion regulation strategies; mobility restrictions; training routines; personal involvement in endurance sports; age; gender; and country of residence. Overall, the results of our study indicate that during lockdown, decreases in training volume, lower lockdown-specific resilience, and holding more negative perceptions about lockdown mobility restrictions (perceived strictness) all contributed to perceived barriers to training. In the analysis, athletes' relative observance of mobility restrictions was controlled for. Athletes exhibiting high personal commitment to their sports displayed: greater lockdown resilience, a greater use of adaptive coping strategies, and lower levels of perceived barriers to training.

Lifestyle changes during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in medical college students: are there gender-related differences?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected young people. The present study aims to explore the effects of COVID-19 on lifestyle in 500 undergraduate students both during the acute phase of the pandemic (so-called "first wave") and during the second spread of infections (so-called "second wave"). Gender differences were also explored.  Methods and results. During the first wave we found weight gain in 48.6% of subjects, a switch to an unhealthy diet (43%), and an increase in the amount of food introduced (35%). Interestingly, women showed higher intake of food in order to cope, while men privileged higher wine consumption as a coping mechanism. We observed a sharp reduction in physical activity, increased sedentary behaviours and deterioration in sleep quality. Stress correlates with eating to cope (r=0.86; p<0.001); drinking to cope (r=0.83; p<0.001). Contrary to expectations, the second wave led to a situation similar to the first. We have detected a further deterioration in quality of sleep (67% vs 77%; p<0.01) and also a reduction in sleeping time (68.6% vs 77.7; p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The long pandemic has led to unhealthy lifestyle changes in the student population of our municipality in Northern Italy. There are gender differences in lifestyle modifications developed during the pandemic that suggest a different response to stress. Moreover, the persistence of pandemic-related stress due to the "second wave" has severely affected the lifestyle habits of undergraduate student.

Habits and Psychological Factors Associated With Changes in Physical Activity Due to COVID-19 Confinement

The confinement that COVID-19 has brought about has had a negative influence on people's psychological health. However, this impact is not widespread throughout the population, and men and women may be affected differently and it is not known what protective factors may exist. In this sense, physical activity has classically been shown to be a habit associated with psychological health. The study aimed to analyze the impact of confinement on psychological health (psychological well-being, coping, emotions, and perception of daily difficulties), taking into account gender, and perceived changes in physical activity. After the project was approved by the University's Ethics Commission, the participants, after signing the informed consent, completed the online questionnaires during the days from 6 to 20 April, the time when, in Spain, confinement was in place and the highest peak of deaths and infections from COVID-19 occurred. A total of 457 Spanish participants (247 men and 210 women) were evaluated in psychological well-being, in its adaptation to Spanish, in coping, with the Spanish adaptation of the COPE Inventory, in daily habits and difficulties (ad hoc questionnaire) and the level of physical activity they had (sedentary, active, and federated players) was recorded. Besides, the perceived change in physical activity due to confinement was recorded. The results showed that perceived emotions, difficulties for certain routines, psychological well-being, and coping differed according to sex. On the other hand, depending on the change in physical activity habits, it was observed that participants who increased their physical activity responded differently in the perception of emotions, and difficulties for routines and in psychological well-being. Finally, differences were also observed in most variables between sedentary, active, and federated participants. Results are discussed highlighting the importance of physical activity as a moderating factor of the impact of confinement.