Effect of physical activity on stress and the sense of community during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of gender and age

Abstract

Despite their effectiveness in minimizing the spread of infection, movement restrictions adopted during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have not been without their health-related consequences, including decreases in physical activity and increases in sedentary behavior. This study aimed to investigate differences in stress and sense of community among Korean citizens in various age groups according to the degree of their participation in physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data collected during the Social Survey of Busan Metropolitan City 2020, the population of which included all household members over the age of 15. Data for a total of 33,082 participants (male = 15,129; female = 17,953) were extracted using a two-stage cluster sampling method. Age, stress level, and sense of community were analyzed using independent t-tests, while the frequency of participation in physical activity was analyzed using a Mann-Whitney U test. Differences in stress level and community consciousness according to the frequency of physical activity were examined via multivariate analysis of variance. Variables exhibiting significant differences were evaluated for differences between groups through Scheffe’s post hoc analysis. First, stress levels were higher among female adolescents than male adolescents. Among adults and older adults, men exhibited higher overall stress levels than women, whereas sense of community was stronger in women than men. Second, male adolescents in the regular physical activity participation group showed lower levels in some factors of stress than those in the non-participating group. Finally, a higher frequency of participation in physical activity among adults and older adults was associated with lower stress and higher sense of community, regardless of gender. In conclusion, regular participation in physical activity should be considered when designing strategies for managing stress and promoting social relationships at the national and individual levels during COVID-19 and any similar pandemics in the future.

Situación físico-emocional de los hombres y las mujeres mayores durante la pandemia: influencia del falle-cimiento de personas próximas a ellos por covid-19 (The physical-emotional situation of older men and women during the pandemic: influence of death of people close to them by covid-19)

“…En cuanto a la salud mental, se ha observado que los hombres reportaron mejores resultados que las mujeres (Lee et al, 2020). Algunos estudios han señalado que ser hombre fue un factor de riesgo durante la pandemia (Bae, 2023;Shahabi et al, 2022), mientras que otros han informado que las mujeres experimentaron niveles más altos de estrés, lo cual impactó negativamente en su calidad de vida (Aravindhan et al, 2023;Levkovich et al, 2021). Además, los resultados de nuestro estudio revelaron diferencias significativas entre hombres y mujeres en relación al dolor y a la percepción de calidad de vida, siendo en ambos casos mejores los resultados obtenidos por los hombres (Lee et al, 2020;Levkovich et al, 2021).…”

“…El aumento del estrés percibido debido a la COVID-19 se ha relacionado con niveles más altos de sintomatología depresiva y ansiosa, así como una menor sensación de felicidad (Hill et al, 2023). Algunos estudios han indicado que ser hombre fue un factor de riesgo durante la pandemia (Bae, 2023;Shahabi et al, 2022), mientras que otros han informado que las mujeres presentaron mayores niveles de estrés, lo cual afectó negativamente su calidad de vida (Aravindhan et al, 2023;Levkovich et al, 2021). El cambio de vida, el aislamiento social y la calidad negativa de las relaciones se han asociado con un peor bienestar psicológico durante la pandemia de COVID-19.…”