Anxiety and Depression in Undergraduate Students Due to Altered Screen Time and Physical Activity Patterns in COVID Times: A Survey

Objective: This study was done to assess anxiety and depression in undergraduate students due to altered levels of screen time (ST) and physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Various studies have been carried out about the mental health impacts of ST and PA, but there is a paucity of literature when it comes to exploring these parameters in undergraduate students and the Indian population. This study aims to address this gap. Methods: Data were collected through a survey using an online questionnaire. Participants reported daily ST and weekly PA, both moderately vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA). Symptoms of anxiety and depression were ascertained using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score. Results: Out of the total 165 students analyzed, we found that 63% had borderline or pathological anxiety levels while 41.2% had borderline or pathological depression levels. There was a negative correlation between depression score and PA, for both MVPA (r = –0.233, P = 0.001) and VPA (r = –0.268, P = 0.0002). A negative correlation was found between anxiety score and PA for MVPA (r = –0.151, P = 0.024). There was a positive correlation between ST and scores of anxiety (r = 0.305, P = 0.006) and depression (r = 0.257, P = 0.02) in females but no correlation was found in males. Conclusion: The present study suggests that there is a high prevalence of borderline and pathological anxiety and depression amongst undergraduate students. High levels of PA and low levels of ST are separately associated with a lesser risk of anxiety and depression.