Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
Molecular and Pharmaco-Epidemiology Unit, Department of Experimental Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
Front Public Health. 2023 Aug 10;11:1237443. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1237443. eCollection 2023.
The closure of sports centres was implemented as a preventive measure to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Given the observed global decline in physical activity and concurrent rise in sedentary behaviour, even among younger age groups, a retrospective cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of this measure on mental health in children, adolescents, and young adults during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 1,717 non-professional athletes (age range: 6-25; 53.9% males, 44.6% females) completed an online questionnaire including widely used and validated measures for mental health assessment (SDQ and PGWB-S) and questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics (such as gender), physical activity, and screen time. The association between mental health and sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, and screen time was evaluated by using univariate and multivariable logistic regression models.
In children and adolescents, the incidence of psychological difficulties was associated with not being physically active (OR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.07; = 0.015). Engaging in physical activity during the period of closures, particularly if more than twice a week, was significantly associated with less psychological difficulties for children/adolescents (OR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.82; = 0.004) and psychological symptoms (i.e., psychological well-being lower than the median) for youth/young adults (OR = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.45; < 0.001). More psychological difficulties were also found in males for children and adolescents (OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.79; = 0.018). However, young adult males showed less psychological symptoms than females (OR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.55; = 0.001). Additionally, a greater amount of screen time was associated with a higher incidence of psychological symptoms in the whole sample.
Our results confirm the positive impact of physical activity on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among younger age groups. They also provide valuable insights into the risk-benefit relationship of interrupting sports activities as a preventive measure for infectious diseases.
为了减轻 SARS-CoV-2 的传播，关闭体育中心被作为一项预防措施。鉴于观察到的全球范围内体力活动的下降以及久坐行为的同时增加，即使在年轻人群中也是如此，因此进行了一项回顾性横断面研究，以评估在 COVID-19 大流行的初始阶段，该措施对儿童、青少年和年轻成年人心理健康的影响。
共有 1717 名非专业运动员（年龄范围：6-25 岁；男性占 53.9%，女性占 44.6%）完成了一份在线问卷，其中包括广泛使用和验证的心理健康评估（SDQ 和 PGWB-S）和有关社会人口特征（如性别）、体力活动和屏幕时间的问题。使用单变量和多变量逻辑回归模型评估心理健康与社会人口特征、体力活动和屏幕时间之间的关联。
在儿童和青少年中，心理困难的发生率与不进行体力活动有关（OR=1.49；95%CI：1.09，2.07； =0.015）。在关闭期间进行体力活动，特别是每周超过两次，与儿童/青少年的心理困难程度降低显著相关（OR=0.54；95%CI：0.35，0.82； =0.004）和青少年/年轻人的心理症状（即，心理健康低于中位数）（OR=0.25；95%CI：0.14，0.45； < 0.001）。对于儿童和青少年，男性也发现了更多的心理困难（OR=1.37；95%CI：1.06，1.79； =0.018）。然而，年轻男性的心理症状比女性少（OR=0.35；95%CI：0.22，0.55； =0.001）。此外，屏幕时间的增加与整个样本中心理症状的发生率增加有关。
我们的结果证实了在 COVID-19 大流行期间，体力活动对年轻人群心理健康的积极影响。它们还为中断体育活动作为传染病预防措施的风险-收益关系提供了有价值的见解。
