BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many restrictions that affected Turkey as well as other countries around the world. Restrictions on education, sports activities and social activities affected students physically and psychologically. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on weight gain, physical activity, and mental health among university students. METHODS: The study included students of Pamukkale University aged between 18–25 years. Participants answered the online survey about changes in body composition and physical activity habits during the pandemic. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess physical activity levels. Beck Depression Scale (BDS) was used to assess the mental health. RESULTS: 848 (546 females, 302 males) students average aged 20,72±1,63 years were included in the study. When the physical activity times before and during the pandemic were compared, a statistically significant difference was found (p < 0.05). Multivariate analyses showed that higher BDS scores (p = 0.000) were significantly associated with increased weight gain. But there was no significant association with age and changes in physical activity time. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative effect on the physical activity level, weight gain and mental health of university students. Students reported an increase in weight during the pandemic. Also, the increase in depressive symptoms is related to higher levels of weight gain. Therefore, physical activity and mental health programmes should be offered to university students as an educational and health policy.

Context: More studies are needed to compare the effect of voluntary contraction, electrical stimulation, and electrical stimulation superimposed onto voluntary contraction in improving trained and untrained homolog muscle strength and lower-extremity endurance. Design: Seventy-six healthy young adults (age = 20.41 [3.07] y, 61 females and 15 males) were included in the study. Subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups as voluntary isometric contraction (IC) group, Russian current (RC) group, and superimposed Russian current (SRC) group. Methods: All training regimens were performed under physiotherapist supervision for a total of 18 sessions (3 times per week for 6 wk). In each session, 10 ICs were achieved with voluntary isometric exercise only, RC only, or RC superimposed onto ICs. Main outcome measures were trained and untrained quadriceps strength (maximal voluntary isometric contraction [MVIC]) and lower-extremity endurance (sit-to-stand test). Results: After 6 weeks of training, all outcome measures improved in all groups (P < .05), except the untrained quadriceps MVIC score of RC group (P = .562). The trained quadriceps MVIC score (P < .001, η2 = .478), untrained quadriceps MVIC score (P = .011, η2 = .115), and sit-to-stand test score (P < .001, η2 = .357) differed significantly among the 3 groups; post hoc analysis revealed that the trained quadriceps MVIC score was higher in SRC and RC groups than in the IC group, untrained quadriceps MVIC score was higher in SRC group than in the RC group, and sit-to-stand test score was higher in SRC group than in the RC group and IC group. Conclusions: RC and RC superimposed onto IC are superior to IC in improving quadriceps muscle strength, and RC superimposed onto IC is superior to RC and IC in improving lower-extremity endurance. RC superimposed onto IC and voluntary IC created cross-education effect on untrained quadriceps.

Aim: It was conducted to evaluate the effect of some sociodemographic and cultural characteristics on pain perception and pain intensity in different musculoskeletal pains and to determine some characteristics related to pain. Method: By recording the demographic information and sociocultural characteristics of all participants; Scandinavian Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and McGill Pain Scale Short Form were used to assess pain perception and pain intensity. Results: 544 patients, 372 women and 172 men, with subacute and chronic musculoskeletal pain were included in this study. The average age of the participants was 40.74±14.53 years. When the effect of sociocultural factors on pain intensity and pain perception (sensory and perceptual dimensions) is examined; it was determined that as the education level increased, the severity of pain (p = 0.002) and pain perception decreased (p = 0.0001), and the pain intensity of the participants living in the village was higher (p = 0.014). While the severity of pain and pain perception were higher in female individuals, it was determined that they also increased with age. When the relationship between pain intensity and pain perception of the participants is examined; positive high relationship (r = 0.630, p = 0.0001) was found between the intensity of pain and sensory pain perception, and a moderate relationship (r = 0.597, p = 0.0001) was found between perceptual dimension. A high positive correlation was found between sensory and perceptual pain dimensions (r = 0.658, p = 0.0001) Conclusion: Chronic pain experience and pain perception levels are affected by social and cultural characteristics. Sociocultural characteristics of individuals should also be taken into consideration in pain relief. Studies examining the effects of different sociocultural characteristics such as language, religious belief, family structure, pet feeding or interaction with animals on musculoskeletal pain are also needed.

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı; kronik boyun ağrılı hastalarda ağrı şiddeti, durasyonu, fonksiyonel durum ve boyun farkındalığı arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmaktır. Yöntem: Kronik boyun ağrısı olan 766 hasta (509 kadın, 257 erkek) çalışmaya dahil edildi. Boyun ağrısı şiddeti GAS ile, fonksiyonel durum Bournemouth Boyun Ağrı Anketi (BBAA) ile, boyun farkındalığı Fremantle Boyun Farkındalık Anketi (FBFA) ile değerlendirildi. Ayrıca ağrı durasyonu ağrı ile geçirilen ay sayısı şeklinde sorgulandı. Sonuçlar: Kronik boyun ağrılı hastaların yaş ortalaması 39,47 ± 13,93 yıldı. GAS ile FBFA arasında pozitif yönde düşük ilişki (r=0,341, p=0,000), BBAA arasında pozitif yönde yüksek ilişki saptandı (r=0,947, p=0,000). Ağrı durasyonu ile FBFA arasında pozitif yönde yüksek düzeyde (r=0,911, p=0,000), BBAA arasında orta düzeyde ilişki saptandı (r=0,534, p=0,000). FBFA ile BBAA arasında ise pozitif yönde orta düzeyde ilişki bulundu (r=0,436, p=0,000). Tartışma: Çalışmamız sonucunda boyun ağrısı şiddet ve durasyonunun özür düzeyini artırabileceği, boyun farkındalığını azaltabileceği saptandı. Ayrıca boyun farkındalığındaki azalmanın da özür düzeyini artırabileceği gözlendi. Bu nedenle boyun ağrısı olan bireylerin rehabilitasyon programlarına boyun farkındalığı içeren egzersizlerin de eklenmesi gerektiğini düşünüyoruz.

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