PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING OF STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Regular physical activity is an essential factor of a healthy lifestyle. The goal of our study was to assess the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the regularity of physical activity, weight gain, and psychological wellbeing of students at the University of Ljubljana (n=4911). We used an online Likert type questionnaire to compare groups of more and less frequently active students and observed gender differences in physical activity and psychological wellbeing. We found that, on average, students have been slightly less physically active than before the pandemic, and their psychological wellbeing is moderately worse than before the pandemic. Compared to less active students, students who were more regularly physically active were less likely to describe their psychological wellbeing as worse or much worse than before the pandemic. In addition, the least regularly physically active students were more likely to gain body weight compared to more active students. When comparing gender differences, we found that the drop in physical activity was less pronounced in female students. Male students were physically active more frequently than female students, and female students assessed their psychological well-being lower than that of male students. The pandemic had a predominantly negative effect on the physical activity and psychological wellbeing of the students of University of Ljubljana. However, further research is needed for a more detailed analysis of the impact of the pandemic on the student population.