Running on empty: a longitudinal global study of psychological well-being among runners during the COVID-19 pandemic

Helene Tilma Vistisen; Kim Mannemar Sønderskov; Peter Thisted Dinesen; René Børge Korsgaard Brund; Rasmus Østergaard Nielsen; Søren Dinesen Østergaard

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063455

Running on empty: a longitudinal global study of psychological well-being among runners during the COVID-19 pandemic

BMJ Open. 2022 Sep 2;12(9):e063455. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063455.

Authors

Helene Tilma Vistisen^{1

2}, Kim Mannemar Sønderskov^{3

4}, Peter Thisted Dinesen^{5

6}, René Børge Korsgaard Brund⁷, Rasmus Østergaard Nielsen^{8

9}, Søren Dinesen Østergaard^{10

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
² Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
³ Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
⁴ Centre for the Experimental-Philosophical Study of Discrimination, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Department of Political Science, University College London, London, UK.
⁷ Sport Sciences, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
⁸ Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
⁹ Research Unit for General Practice, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
¹⁰ Department of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark soeoes@rm.dk.

Abstract

Objectives: There are indications that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound negative effect on psychological well-being. Here, we investigated this hypothesis using longitudinal data from a large global cohort of runners, providing unprecedented leverage for understanding how the temporal development in the pandemic pressure relates to well-being across countries.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Global.

Participants: We used data from the worldwide Garmin-RUNSAFE cohort that recruited runners with a Garmin Connect account, which is used for storing running activities tracked by a Garmin device. A total of 7808 Garmin Connect users from 86 countries participated.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: From 1 August 2019 (prepandemic) to 31 December 2020, participants completed surveys every second week that included the five-item WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Pandemic pressure was proxied by the number of COVID-19-related deaths per country, retrieved from the Coronavirus Resource Centre at Johns Hopkins University. Panel data regression including individual- and time-fixed effects was used to study the association between country-level COVID-19-related deaths over the past 14 days and individual-level self-reported well-being over the past 14 days.

Results: The 7808 participants completed a total of 125 409 WHO-5 records over the study period. We found a statistically significant inverse relationship between the number of COVID-19-related deaths and the level of psychological well-being-independent of running activity and running injuries (a reduction of 1.42 WHO-5 points per COVID-19-related death per 10 000 individuals, p<0.001).

Conclusions: This study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on the psychological well-being of the affected populations, which is concerning from a global mental health perspective.

Keywords: COVID-19; depression & mood disorders; mental health.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Pandemics
Prospective Studies
Universities