Association of physical activity levels with covid-19-related anxiety and anthropometric indices among active and inactive females during the coronavirus pandemic

Physical activity can promote the mental and physical health of individuals in various ways. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between the levels of physical activity, corona-induced anxiety, and anthropometric indices among active and inactive students.

This is a correlational and causal-comparative study. The statistical population of this research included all female students at Farhangian University of Mashhad, Hasheminejad Campus in the academic year of 2020-2021 (n=655), from which 247 cases were randomly chosen. Evaluation of the anxiety of corona disease, the level of physical activity related to work, sports, and leisure time, anthropometric indices related to health, and the prevalence of corona were performed.

The results showed that there is a significant difference between active and inactive students regarding corona anxiety and physical activity levels (p=0.001). Correlation results showed that there is a significant relationship between corona anxiety and physical activity level (p=0.001). The results of linear regression indicated that physical activity related to exercise is a predictor of corona anxiety (p=0.003), but occupational physical activity and leisure time cannot predict corona anxiety.

Based on these results, it can be said that, especially in special conditions such as corona epidemic, physical activity and regular exercise can alleviate the level of anxiety in people and improve their mental and physical health.