The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with a significant increase in BMI (mean difference 0.43; P=0.004) and decreased physical performance among Chinese college students.
Cohort (n=43)
No
Does the COVID-19 lockdown negatively impact physical health-related indexes in Chinese college students?
The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with significant declines in physical fitness and increases in BMI among Chinese college students.
Mean Difference: 0.43
p-value: p=0.004
The outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic has caused negative impacts on people’s lifestyles, as well as considerable indirect social impacts, which has even overshadowed the direct impact of virus infection itself. This study is aimed at examining the changes in physical health‐related indexes of Chinese college students before and after the COVID‐19 lockdown. The data of this study are from the National Physical Health Testing Program, covering 43 college students (male: 22) from a class of a Chinese university. Paired t ‐tests were performed on the physical health test data separately collected in November 2019 before the COVID‐19 pandemic and October 2020 after the COVID‐19 lockdown was lifted. As shown by the test results, compared to the prelockdown data, college students had an increased body mass index (BMI) (0.43 (SD 0.94) P = 0.004), decreased vital capacity (VC) (‐128.98 (SD 310.13) ml P = 0.009), and lowered performance in the 800/1000 m endurance (‐6.21 (SD 8.81) points P 0.05), but the students in the control group showed a significantly increased BMI, as well as significantly decreased vital capacity and performance in the 800/1000 m endurance and standing long jump tests ( P < 0.05). The findings of this study are expected to help government departments and policymakers better understand the impacts of school closures and online learning on the physical health of adolescents, while providing a basis for the formulation of measures that are aimed at reversing adolescents’ physical health decline.
Hu et al. (Sat,) conducted a cohort in Physical health (n=43). COVID-19 lockdown vs. Pre-lockdown baseline was evaluated on Body mass index (BMI) (MD 0.43, p=0.004). The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with a significant increase in BMI (mean difference 0.43; P=0.004) and decreased physical performance among Chinese college students.