Physical activity, mental health and academic achievement: A cross-sectional study of Norwegian adolescents

AbstractBackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious global health problem that has negatively impacted the mental health of students.MethodsWe conducted an online descriptive cross-sectional study among 273 undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Zambia. A partial proportional odds regression model was used to determine the predictors of anxiety. All statistical tests were set at 95% confidence level (p<0.05).ResultsA response rate of 70% was obtained with the majority of the students being female 51.6%. Of the 273 respondents, 23.8% did not experience anxiety, 34.4% experienced mild anxiety, 24.9% experienced moderate anxiety while 16.9% experienced severe anxiety about COVID-19. It was also found that 61.2% of students reported that their attention to mental health increased during the COVID-19 pandemic whereas 44.3% reported an increased resting time with a significant reduction in relaxation 51.3% and physical activity 45.4% time. Factors that affected mental health included; reduced family care (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.09-4.74), not changing attention to mental health (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.18-0.62), being in the final year of study (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.13-0.84), reduced time of resting (OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.26-3.50) and feeling helpless (OR: 0.42; 95% CI:0.23-0.75).ConclusionCOVID-19 negatively impacted the mental health and physical activity of pharmacy students at the University of Zambia. This can have negative health and academic outcomes for students going forward. Higher learning institutions and key stakeholders should implement measures to aid students to recover from the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and physical activity.

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Is regular physical activity a key to mental health? Commentary on “Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1.2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: A cross-sectional study”, by Chekroud et al., published in Lancet Psychiatry

Journal of Sport and Health Science ◽

10.1016/j.jshs.2018.11.005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 6-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anne-Marie Elbe ◽

Stine Nylandsted Lyhne ◽

Esben Elholm Madsen ◽

Peter Krustrup

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Exercise ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Regular Physical Activity ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Usa

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Physical activity and academic achievement among the medical students: A cross-sectional study

Medical Teacher ◽

10.3109/0142159x.2016.1142516 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (sup1) ◽

pp. S66-S72 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Abdulmajeed Al-Drees ◽

Hamza Abdulghani ◽

Mohammad Irshad ◽

Abdulsalam Ali Baqays ◽

Abdulaziz Ali Al-Zhrani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Academic Achievement ◽

Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Links between nutrition, life style habits and academic acheivment in Palestinian schoolchildren: A cross-sectional study

10.47874/2021p6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 01 (1) ◽

pp. 90-102

Author(s):

Radwan Qasrawi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Academic Achievement ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Average Score ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Time Activity ◽

Healthy Nutrition ◽

High Academic Achievement ◽

Total Average

Objective: To examine the association between nutrition, physical activity, lifestyle, the combined behavior e"ect, and the schoolchildren's academic achievement. Design: Observational and cross-sectional study. Setting: West Bank, Palestine. Participants: A group of schoolchildren (n=1945) in grades 5-9 (11-16 years). Measurements: Students were surveyed about the their ’dietary, physical activity (PA), leisure time activity, and academic achievement. Academic achievement was measured using students' marks in Arabic, English, math, science courses, and the total average score. The linear regression model was conducted to analyze the relationship between dietary, PA, combined behavior, and academic achievement, while adjusted for demographic confounders; body mass index (BMI), and parental education. Results: Findings indicated that healthy nutrition and adequate levels of PA significantly predict achievement scores. In both boys and girls, high academic achievement was associated with a high intake of fruits and vegetables (AOR: 1.1 (0.72-1.68); 1.18(0.81-1.7), and (AOR: 1.21(0.8-1.82); 1.33(0.93-1.91), respectively. In both girls and boys, high academic achievement was associated with low intake of soft drink, beverages (juice with sugar) and energy drink (AOR: (0.75(0.47-1.19), 0.85(0.58-1.27)); (0.99(0.63-1.57), 0.76(0.52-1.12)); (0.66(0.38-1.15), 0.49(0.27-0.89)), respectively. The active and healthy nutrition group scored higher on Arabic, English, math, science, and total average score. Conclusions: There is a strong relationship between healthy nutrition, acceptable PA, and the average academic achievement within schoolchildren. Findings emphasize the importance of linking nutrition, school PA, and health policies for improving cognitive functions and academic performance of Palestinian schoolchildren. Thus, school-based healthy lifestyle educational, health behaviors policy, and recommendation programs may have a greater e"ect on students’ academic achievement.

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The Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety and Their Lifestyle Determinants in a Large Sample of Iranian Adults: Results from a Population Based Cross-Sectional Study

Serbian Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research ◽

10.2478/sjecr-2018-0079 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 163-170

Author(s):

Zeinab Alizadeh ◽

Awat Feizi ◽

Mehri Rejali ◽

Hamid Afshar ◽

Ammar Hassanzadeh Keshteli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Large Sample ◽

Increased Risk

AbstractAssociation of lifestyle-related factors and mental health has been less studied in Middle Eastern countries. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of two common mental health problems, i.e., depression and anxiety, and their lifestyle determinants in a large sample of Iranian population.This study was conducted within the framework of SEPAHAN population based cross-sectional study (N=4763(. The General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPPAQ) was used to assess physical activity and the Iranian-validated version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was applied to screen for anxiety and depression. Logistic regression was used as the main statistical method for data analysis by SPSS version 16.0. A P-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.The risk of anxiety and depression was 2.5 (OR=2.56,95% CI: 1.97-3.33) and 2.21(1.83-2.67) times higher in women than men, respectively. With every one-year increase in the age, the risk of anxiety decreased by 2% (OR=0.98,95% CI:0.97-0.99). Individuals with higher education had 56% lower risk of anxiety (OR=0.44,95% CI: 0.36-0.55) and 46% depression (OR=0.54,95% CI: 0.46-0.64) than the undergraduate group, and the risk of depression in the inactive (less than one hour of activity per week) group was 27% higher than the active group (OR=1.27,95% CI: 1.06-1.51). The risk of anxiety in the non-smoker group was 65% (OR=0.35,95% CI: 0.20-0.59) and depression was 64% lower than among smokers (OR=0.34,95% CI:0.22-0.53). In the ex-smoker group, the risk of anxiety was 60% (OR=0.40,95% CI:0.19-0.85) and depression was 59% lower than for the smoker group (OR=0.41,95% CI: 0.24-0.73).This current study’s results demonstrated significant associations between unhealthy lifestyle factors and increased risk of anxiety and depression. Hence, special attention must be paid to preventive intervention programmes aiming to enhance healthy lifestyle among at-risk populations.

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