Stress and physical activity level during COVID-19 pandemic in medical students from Medical University in Katowice

Abstract

Introduction: Students of medical faculties are exposed to greater stress than students of other faculties. In addition, remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way and quality of life for most people.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the level of stress among medical students during and before the COVID-19 pandemic. The second purpose was to find out if the level of physical activity had an impact on the stress level of students.

Material and methods: 248 students of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice participated in the study. The research tool was the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).

Results: The stress level was significantly higher during the pandemic (p <0.001) than before (17.07 vs 23.17, respectively). Before the pandemic, students with higher levels of physical activity were characterized by lower levels of stress (p <0.001).

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in stress among medical students. In light of the spread of the virus, it makes sense to continue research with a wider group to investigate the specific relationship between physical activity and stress, and other methods and strategies of coping with stress which could serve as guidelines and recommendations for students.

Keywords: COVID-19; IPAQ; pandemic; physical activity.