Changes in Physical Activity and the Occurrence of Specific Symptoms of "Long-COVID Syndrome" in Men Aged 18-25

Level of knowledge, nutritional habits, use of stimulants, and physical activity during the COVID-19 epidemic among students of physiotherapy at Wroclaw Medical University

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge effect around the world. The aim of this study was to determine what eating habits, physical activity, and use of stimulants were likely among physical therapy students during the outbreak.

METHODS

The 16-65-ComPAN questionnaire for views and eating habits was used. The Fagerström Test was used to determine nicotine dependence, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to gauge physical activity, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test to determine alcohol consumption.

RESULTS

The results indicated a relatively high percentage of alcohol consumption among this group, as well as a relationship between an unhealthy diet and years of study and smoking. A high value of unhealthy diet and the relationship between dietary knowledge, body mass index, and healthy diet index were also found. No correlation was obtained between the effect of COVID-19 on the student's life and nutritional knowledge and habits, but the percentage of students negatively affected by COVID was high (51%).

CONCLUSION

The findings presented here indicate the need to take measures to increase nutritional knowledge among physiotherapy students and to take measures to reduce the use of stimulants.

Differences of Disabling Symptoms between Previously Hospitalized or Non-Hospitalized Currently Working Long-COVID Survivors One Year after Infection: A Descriptive Study

This study aimed to describe the presence of disabling symptoms in currently working Long-COVID survivors by comparing the hospitalized and non-hospitalized one year after infection. Patients with Long-COVID syndrome (LCS) that have been infected by COVID-19 a year ago and were actually working were included. Participants that had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 were included in the LCS hospitalized group, and participants that had not been hospitalized were included in the LCS non-hospitalized group. The eligible patients were prompted to complete the latest self-report version of the COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Screening Tool (C19-YRS). A total of 465 subjects were included in the study. Participants in the LCS hospitalized group were significantly older, had a significantly higher BMI, and had a significantly higher prevalence of women compared to the LCS non-hospitalized group. Additionally, participants in the LCS hospitalized group had obtained significantly worse results in symptom severity, functional disability, and global health perceived subscales of C19-YRS compared to the participants included in the LCS non-hospitalized group. We concluded that disabling symptoms are presented in patients with LCS at working age one year after infection and are higher in LCS hospitalized patients compared to LCS non-hospitalized patients.

Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 in University Setting

Postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, commonly known as long COVID, is estimated to affect 10% to 80% of COVID-19 survivors. We examined the prevalence and predictors of long COVID from a sample of 1,338 COVID-19 cases among university members in Washington, DC, USA, during July 2021‒March 2022. Cases were followed up after 30 days of the initial positive result with confidential electronic surveys including questions about long COVID. The prevalence of long COVID was 36%. Long COVID was more prevalent among those who had underlying conditions, who were not fully vaccinated, who were female, who were former/current smokers, who experienced acute COVID-19 symptoms, who reported higher symptom counts, who sought medical care, or who received antibody treatment. Understanding long COVID among university members is imperative to support persons who have ongoing symptoms and to strengthen existing services or make referrals to other services, such as mental health, exercise programs, or long-term health studies.

Fat–fat-free index in body mass assessment in young people

The study aimed to personalize the classification of body weight using the fat–fat-free (FFF) index with the percentage of body fat and to develop classification standards for the FFF index for men aged 18–25 years. Moreover, 1,642 adolescents (1,200 ♀) were examined. Using body composition analyzers, weight was determined, as well as overall and segmental body composition. Based on the obtained values for fat mass and fat-free tissue mass, an overall FFF index was calculated. According to the BMI classification, 9% of ♀ and 6% of ♂ are underweight, 29% of ♀ and 13% of ♂ are overweight, and 5% of the subjects are obese. Women and men classified in the same group according to BMI differed statistically significantly in terms of body weight, FM%, and FFM. In contrast to BMI and FM%, the FFF used takes into account the ratio of fat mass to fat-free tissue and muscle tissue mass. The proposed classification of FFF was made taking into account the differences that arise with sexual development and physiological changes occurring in ontogeny. Assessment of body mass using the FFF index should be used as part of preventive screening for the early diagnosis and prevention of overweight and thus many chronic diseases for which overweight or obesity is a risk factor.

Is It Important to Increase Physical Activity Among University Students During the Second-Wave COVID-19 Pandemic in Asian Countries? A Cross-Sectional Study of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Asian Countries

Background

Difficulties in exercising have occurred for the entire world’s population during this COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the second wave at the end of 2021. Most worrying is the lack of physical activity in young adults, as lack of exercise will increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases in the future. The youth such as university student can be agents of change, to increase physical activity, from sedentary to sport life. This study aimed to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and actions of university students and the correlation between the related variables.

Methods

This study is a cross-sectional observational study involving 458 Asian university students based on Asian and African nationalities. This research was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia. The variables studied were the knowledge, attitudes, and actions of university students with regard to sports, and the statistical test used was the Chi-squared test.

Results

The results showed that the research subjects were mainly from Indonesia and India (95.8%), there were more women than men (69.9% vs 30.1%), the most common age range was 18–20 years (61.4%), and 45.4% had a normal body mass index. In total, 48.3% had high knowledge, 93.4% had a positive attitude, and 34.7% had good practice. There was a significant relationship between knowledge and attitude (p=0.002) but not with action.

Conclusion

This study found that good knowledge was associated with a good attitude, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic with activity restrictions on university students, there was no relationship with action.

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Home-Based High-Intensity Interval Exercise Improves the Postprandial Glucose Response in Young Adults with Postprandial Hyperglycemia

Postprandial hyperglycemia can be corrected by exercise; however, the effect of home-based high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), a new time-efficient exercise, on glycemic control is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of home-based HIIE on postprandial hyperglycemia. Twelve young adult males (mean age: 24.3 ± 2.3 y) with postprandial hyperglycemia that had not yet led to diabetes completed home-based HIIE, moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE), and control conditions on separate days, randomly. The intervention began 30 min after the start of a standardized meal intake, with 11 min of HIIE completed at maximal effort in the home-based HIIE condition, 30 min of running performed at 50% maximum oxygen uptake in the MICE condition, or 30 min of sitting at rest completed in the control condition. The participants sat at rest after each intervention for up to 120 min. Interstitial fluid glucose concentrations were measured using a continuous glucose monitoring system that scanned every 15 min for up to 2 h after the meal. The glucose concentrations after the meal were significantly lower in the home-based HIIE and MICE conditions than in the control condition (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the glucose concentrations between the home-based HIIE and MICE conditions. In conclusion, home-based HIIE was able to correct postprandial hyperglycemia.