Physical Activity Levels and Self-perception of Fitness in COVID-19-Recovered Individuals

The preventative measures to reduce the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have reduced the physical activity level (PAL) that might also affect physical and mental health.

The present study investigated the relationship between self-perception of fitness (SPF) and PAL in COVID-19-recovered individuals (CRI).

The population of this descriptive-analytical study included all CRI (men and women, in the age range of 20 to 70 years) in Kermanshah. In the present study, 890 volunteers (438 men and 452 women) were sampled using a multistage cluster sampling method. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) was used to assess the PAL and the Delignières et al. questionnaire to assess the SPF. The Pearson correlation coefficient test and independent t-test were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 24 software.

The results showed low PAL (men: 876.11 ± 40.23; women: 739.27 ± 8.02) and poor SPF (men: 6.64 ± 1.62; women: 5.27 ± 1.39) in CRI. Also, there was a significant positive relationship between high and moderate PAL and SPF in men (r = 0.67, P = 0.032; r = 0.77, P = 0.018, respectively) and women (R = 0.56, P = 0.041; r = 0.66, P = 0.035, respectively), while there was a significant inverse relationship between low PAL and SPF among men (r = -0.85, P = 0.001) and women (r = -0.89, P = 0.001).

Based on the results, wrong SPF in individuals with low PAL might be one reason for being insufficiently active. Thus, a proper understanding of PAL could be the first step of a regular physical activity schedule to enhance the immune system.