Physical activity among university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic affected daily life worldwide, with university students being particularly impacted. Changes in teaching modalities significantly influenced students’ lifestyles, leading to alterations in regular physical activity participation.

Objective
To compare the physical activity patterns of university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study with 185 students from a private university in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Data collection took place in 2022 using an electronic survey hosted on the RedCap® platform. We sent a unique survey link via email to enrolled students. The data encompassed sociodemographic and academic characteristics, as well as lifestyle habits, including physical activity. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software.

Results
The majority of participants were women (78.9%), identified as White (44.9%), with a mean age of 23.4 years (SD ± 6.31). Most students were in their first to fourth semester (53.6%), and the most common degree program was medicine (27.0%). The students maintained an average of four days per week of physical activity both before and during the pandemic. However, the mean duration of physical activity decreased from 76 minutes pre-pandemic to 65 minutes during the pandemic. Strength training and gym workouts were the most common activities before the pandemic, whereas strength training, running, and home exercises predominated during the pandemic. Physiotherapy students were the least active group during the pandemic.

Conclusion
Despite efforts to diversify exercise modalities to sustain regular physical activity, university students experienced a reduction in the average duration of physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.