PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS DURING A PANDEMIC

• Published in: Revista brasileira de medicina do esporte 2021-12, Vol.27 (6), p.582-587
• Main Authors: Mendes, Tassia Barcelos, Souza, Karla Cardoso de, França, Carolina Nunes, Rossi, Fabrício Eduardo, Santos, Rafael Pereira Guimarães, Duailibi, Kalil, Tuleta, Izabela, Armond, Jane de Eston, Stubbs, Brendon, Neves, Lucas Melo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: PHYSIOLOGY; SPORT SCIENCES
• ISSN: 1517-8692; 1806-9940; 1806-9940
• DOI: 10.1590/1517-8692202127062021_0059

ABSTRACT Introduction: Decreased physical activity has been associated with poorer mental health and is a cause for concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To compare groups of medical students (MS) who practiced different levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, in relation to symptoms of anxiety and depression (BAI-BDI), sleep quality (PSQI), and physical activity (PA) - light, moderate, vigorous (LPA-MPA and VPA), and sedentary behavior (SB). Methods: This research is a cross-sectional study involving 218 MS. Data on the characteristics of the MS were collected through online forms: PA, SB, BAI, BDI, and PSQI. The Cohen's D (Effect Size - ES) and confidence interval (95% CI), Mann-Whitney test: Lower MVPA (Median=0 minute) and Higher MVPA (Median=390 minutes) were recorded. For the statistical analyses, we used: the Odds ratio (OR) for the presence of symptoms of high levels of anxiety and depression and poor sleep quality in the MS and MVPA. Results: We found a small ES for symptoms of depression (ES 0.26 95% CI 0.00 0.53 p=0.029), and significant differences (p