Determinants of the Impact of Fatigue on the Health of Polish Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

(1) Lockdown-related fatigue occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic is a complex problem that can be experienced in different social groups. The objective of the current study is to attempt to identify socio-demographic and lifestyle-related factors that determine the impact of fatigue on health in general as well as in physical, cognitive, and psychosocial terms and to determine whether, and to what extent, these were predictors of fatigue in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) The study was conducted by the diagnostic poll method between 20 March and 15 December 2021 among 894 nursing students at six Polish universities. To collect the data, a validated Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) was used. (3) Students from the age group of ≤20 experienced a significantly greater impact of fatigue on health in general as well as in physical and cognitive terms. The study demonstrated a significant negative relationship between the year of study and the impact of fatigue on health in general terms (r = −0.12; p < 0.0001) and the analyzed health terms, on physical (r = −0.12; p < 0.0001), cognitive (r = −0.10; p < 0.002), and psychosocial (r = −0.07; p < 0.041). In predicting the impact of fatigue on health in general and physical terms, it was the variable related to a reduction in physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic that had the greatest contribution, while for the cognitive and psychosocial functions, it was the number of meals consumed per day. (4) It is recognized that action is needed to reduce the impact of fatigue on student health by modifying the predictors related to student lifestyles.

Fatigue and physical activity levels in Poles living in Poland and the United Kingdom in the futher year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot study

“…Similar associations are also found in the results of studies conducted in different parts of the world [25,50,51]. Regular physical activity has also been indicated as a factor that may play a protective role against fatigue [43]. In our pilot study, only 13.5% of respondents reported low levels of physical activity, 57% had adequate levels, and 29.5% had high levels.…”

“…In the authors' own study, the overall severity of fatigue according to the Modi ed Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) was 17, suggesting a low level. In studies conducted directly during the pandemic COVID-19 or in patients diagnosed with chronic COVID-19, the level of estimated fatigue was at a much higher level [43,45,46]. It is di cult to comment on these results because no studies were found in the literature that were consistent with the authors' study.…”

“…A study conducted on Polish students showed the adverse health effects of limited physical activity in all areas considered. Respondents who did not abstain from physical activity were less prone to fatigue than those who reduced their physical activity even minimally [43].…”

“…Fatigue is a problem that increasingly affects younger people and has a number of negative consequences [40,41]. During the most di cult period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global lockdown, it was considered one of the most commonly reported consequences of the pandemic [42,43].…”