Motor activity of nursing students in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all areas of human life and activity. A number of lifestyle changes associated with health risk factors have occurred, one of which is inactivity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the opinion of nursing students about their motor activity in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: In our report, we have applied analysis of literary sources and a survey (on-line anonymous group survey). The opinion of 60 nursing students of second, third and fourth year at the Medical University – Varna was studied. The nurses received explanation for the purpose and methodology of the study, their anonymity was guaranteed, and their informed consent for the study was obtained. The study was conducted in August 2020–January 2021. Graphical analysis was used to visualize the observed processes and phenomena. To create the graphs, we used Microsoft Office Excel 2013. The data were processed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 19 statistical package. Results: The majority of the respondents shared that they had been less active compared to the time before the pandemic began. The search for alternatives for exercising and sports among students is hampered by a number of factors, which relate to the changes in the organization of life and educational activities associated with measures to stop the pandemic. Conclusion: The results of this study prove that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the lifestyle of the nursing students - most of them have reduced their motor activity. The data highlights the need to find alternatives and strategies to reduce the inactivity.

Keywords

• motor activity
• nurses
• students
• pandemic