Sedentary Living, Screen Time, and Physical Activities in Medical Students during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic

Abstract

The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has established large-scale social restrictions (LSSR) to limit the transmis- sion of Covid-19, which inherently causes an increase in screen time levels and the physical activity level of students. This study aims to compare the level of screen time and physical activity before and during LSSR. This cross-sectional study was involved 206 medical students of the Atma Jaya School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Data were collected using a questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) – long form. A paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and McNemar test were used to compare the level of screen time and physical activity before and during LSSR. The mean screen time, sedentary time on weekday and weekend were significantly increased (Δ0.6, Δ1.7, Δ1.3 hours, respectively, all p<0.001), while total calorie of physical activity reduced (Δ-435, p<0.001). The number of students with higher screen time and sedentary time was also raised (Δ12.1%, Δ19.4%, Δ14.6%, respectively, all p<0.001), while the number of students with sufficient physical activity was significantly diminished (Δ-13.6%, p<0.001). There was a shift in the use of application types. The most significant change was Line usage, which had decreased by almost half (from 80 to 43). The pandemic situation greatly affected the students’ physical activity behaviour to be more sedentary and changed the use of application type.

Examination of non-cognitive variables affecting academic achievement: a conceptual model proposal

“…Accordingly, the model established in the research indicates that AP increases MSA (H1). These results are not surprising considering that the time spent by students on the screen increased in the pandemic (e.g., Jahja et al 2021 ; Şimşir Gökalp et al 2022 ). Moreover, this finding was supported from the studies in the literature.…”

“…Due to the excessive increase in the time that students spend in front of the screen, (TV, Computer, Smartphone, Tablet, etc.) (Jahja et al 2021 ; Şimşir-Gökalp et al 2022 ) and their use of digital technologies (Montag and Elhai 2020 ) during the pandemic, it may be useful to consider screen addiction while examining the factors affecting their achievement. According to the current literature, there is a negative relationship between university students’ smartphone addiction (Samaha and Hawi 2016 ), internet addiction (Iyitoğlu and Çeliköz, 2017 ), and video game addiction (Wright 2011 ) and academic performance in the pre-pandemic period.…”

Increasing Smartphone Usage Correlates With Worsening Sleep Quality Among Students

“…Jahja et. al (2021) found an increase in screen time and a decrease in physical activity in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the first three months of the lockdown 16 . The prevalence of gadget addiction increased globally from 26.9% to 34.5% during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 Pandemic 13 .…”

“…2,5,6,7,10,11,13,15,17,20,22,24,26,28,30,31,33,34,41,42), negative symptoms (no. 3,4,8,16,1,21,23,25,27,29,32,35,36,37), and depressive symptoms (no. 1, 9,12,14,19,38,39,40) dimension.…”

Effectiveness of Physical-Literacy-Based Online Education on Indices of Physical Fitness in High-School Adolescents: Intervention Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period

“…Even though it is advisable to assess and make PL interventions targeting all domains of PL, in certain occasions, this is not possible. Specifically, during the COVID-19 pandemic and strict social-distancing measures, adolescents were attending online classes, or they had live classes but with social-distancing measures [15,16]. Thus, the opportunities for regular PL interventions and assessments were reduced.…”