Associations between Physical Activity and Mental Health in Iranian Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Accelerometer-Based Study

Children

Melanie Eckelt¹  Andreas Bund¹  Saeed Ghorbani²  Amir Dana³  Mostafa Afshari⁴ 

[1] Department of Education and Social Work, University of Luxembourg, Campus Belval, 11, Porte desSciences, Esch-sur-Alzette, L-4366 Luxembourg, Luxembourg;Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Aliabad Katoul Branch, Islamic Azad University, Aliabad Katoul 4941793451, Iran;Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1651153311, Iran;Department of Sport Management, Sport Management Research Center, Sport Sciences Research Institute, Tehran 1587958711, Iran;

关键词: COVID-19;    physical activity;    mental health;    accelerometer;    adolescents;   

DOI  :  10.3390/children8111022

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Using self-reported questionnaires, several studies found that social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the level of physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents. Since the objectivity of self-reported PA is limited in several ways, we used modern accelerometers in this study to assess the PA levels of male and female adolescents during the pandemic-related lockdown. Moreover, the association of PA with mental health of the adolescents were analyzed. A total of 136 students (76 girls, mean age of 16.28 ± 0.97 years) from various schools in Iran wore the accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X-BT) for seven consecutive days. Mental health was measured through the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 of Lovibond and Lovibond (1995). Descriptive statistics and independent t-tests were used to analyze the PA levels of male and female students, and linear regressions were computed to examine whether PA predicts mental health status. On average, the daily time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was 18.47 min, which is clearly below the WHO guideline of at least 60 min of MVPA per day. Only 4% of adolescents showed MVPA for more than 30 min per day. Male students were significantly more active than their female peers (p = 0.015). As expected, MVPA was negatively associated with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. However, the majority of adolescents reported symptoms of mild-to-moderate mental health disorders. These results emphasize the need for targeted strategies and offerings geared to young people’s needs and preferences to promote an adequate level of PA and good mental health during and after the ongoing pandemic.

【 授权许可】

Unknown