BMJ Open (Sep 2022)

Running on empty: a longitudinal global study of psychological well-being among runners during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Rasmus Østergaard Nielsen,
  • Helene Tilma Vistisen,
  • Kim Mannemar Sønderskov,
  • Peter Thisted Dinesen,
  • René Børge Korsgaard Brund,
  • Søren Dinesen Østergaard

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063455
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 9

Abstract

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Objectives There are indications that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound negative effect on psychological well-being. Here, we investigated this hypothesis using longitudinal data from a large global cohort of runners, providing unprecedented leverage for understanding how the temporal development in the pandemic pressure relates to well-being across countries.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Global.Participants We used data from the worldwide Garmin-RUNSAFE cohort that recruited runners with a Garmin Connect account, which is used for storing running activities tracked by a Garmin device. A total of 7808 Garmin Connect users from 86 countries participated.Primary and secondary outcome measures From 1 August 2019 (prepandemic) to 31 December 2020, participants completed surveys every second week that included the five-item WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Pandemic pressure was proxied by the number of COVID-19-related deaths per country, retrieved from the Coronavirus Resource Centre at Johns Hopkins University. Panel data regression including individual- and time-fixed effects was used to study the association between country-level COVID-19-related deaths over the past 14 days and individual-level self-reported well-being over the past 14 days.Results The 7808 participants completed a total of 125 409 WHO-5 records over the study period. We found a statistically significant inverse relationship between the number of COVID-19-related deaths and the level of psychological well-being—independent of running activity and running injuries (a reduction of 1.42 WHO-5 points per COVID-19-related death per 10 000 individuals, p<0.001).Conclusions This study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on the psychological well-being of the affected populations, which is concerning from a global mental health perspective.