Strehli I, Ziegenfuss DH, Block ME, Burns RD, Bai Y, Brusseau TA. "I Felt Grounded and Clear-Headed": Qualitative Exploration of a Mind-Body Physical Activity Intervention on Stress Among College Students During COVID-19.
Inquiry 2022;
59:469580221126307. [PMID:
36173125 PMCID:
PMC9527128 DOI:
10.1177/00469580221126307]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic affected college students' overall health. The aims of this qualitative inquiry were to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of the mind-body physical activity (MBPA) intervention and to explore the MBPA intervention experiences through the use of journals and photographs (photovoice) of a purposeful sample of 21 college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. An inductive qualitative process was used to explore the data that emerged from photovoice images and journals. Students' experiences were encapsulated in 6 key themes: (1) holistic individual well-being; (2) physical activity as a matter of necessity; (3) mind-body physical activity intervention impacts; (4) broadening strategies for adapting and reacting; (5) systemic effect of stress management changes; and (6) perceiving causes of stress. Participants reflected collective intellectual, physical, and emotional fatigue as obstacles and perceived stress. The quality of COVID-19 related perspectives and stressful experiences are defined from traumatic and overwhelming to higher than normal. Findings from this study contribute to our understanding of the distinctive factors of the COVID-19 era among college students. Health educators should consider the implementation of multilevel and multicomponent MBPA interventions, and our findings highlight the utility of supporting higher education students in a meaningful way.
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