Revista Cubana de Medicina Militar (May 2023)
Level of physical activity and mood in university students during the COVID-19 confinement
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated physical and mental health problems in university students. Objectives: To determine the relationship between physical activity level and mood in university students during COVID-19 confinement. Methods: 215 university students aged 22.09 ± 2.61 (108 women and 107 men) participated during the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instruments in digital format were applied during the month of June 2020. Physical activity level was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form and mood was assessed using the Mood Rating Scale (EVEA). Results: Mood joy presents a significant positive correlation with all variables of physical activity, except with sitting time. Sadness-depression mood showed a negative correlation with metabolic equivalent of vigorous physical activity (r -0.201; p= 0.003) and total metabolic equivalent (r -0.172; p= 0.011). Mood anxiety was negatively correlated with metabolic equivalent of vigorous physical activity (r -0.163; p= 0.017) and total metabolic equivalent (r -0.162; p= 0.018). Conclusions: The level of physical activity is positively related to mood, mainly with the level of joy, however, these correlations have a small effect size.
