Evaluation of physical activity among undergraduate students in Mogadishu Universities in the aftermath of COVID-19 restrictions

Sameer Badri Al-Mhanna; Wan Syaheedah Wan Ghazali; Mahaneem Mohamed; Abdulrahman Mohammed Sheikh; Abedelmalek Kalefh Tabnjh; HafeezAbiola Afolabi; Yahkub Babatunde Mutalub; Azeez Omoniyi Adeoye; Mariam Mohamed Nur; Monira I Aldhahi

doi:10.7717/peerj.14131

Evaluation of physical activity among undergraduate students in Mogadishu Universities in the aftermath of COVID-19 restrictions

PeerJ. 2022 Oct 10:10:e14131. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14131. eCollection 2022.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
² Faculty of Health Science, Somali International University, Mogadishu, Somalia.
³ Jordan University of Science and Technology Department of Applied Dental Sciences, Irbid, Jordan.
⁴ Department of General Surgery, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.
⁵ Department of Clinical Pharmacology, College of Medical Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Bauchi, Nigeria.
⁶ Anatomy Department, Kampala International University, Bushenyi-Uganda, Bushenyi, Uganda.
⁷ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: International restrictions were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to limit social interaction and viral transmission. These measures had a negative impact on physical activity (PA), creating changes in students' health and lifestyles. The present study aimed to evaluate the levels of PA among undergraduate students in three different universities in Mogadishu after the relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown using the international physical activity questionnaire-long version (IPAQ-L) and its potential associated factors.

Methods: This study is a multicentral study conducted at Somali International University, Horn of Africa University, and Daha International University. A total of 1,189 respondents were asked to answer the online questionnaire provided via a link shared using their social media.

Results: After COVID-19 restrictions approximately ≥ 150 minutes of PA per week was reported by 500 men (97.3%) and 652 women (96.6%) at work. While 7 (1.4%) of men and 20 (3%) of women participate in < 150 minutes each week, respectively. Furthermore, only seven (1.4%) of males and three (0.4%) of women reported to have not performed any PA at work.

Conclusion: The majority of the undergraduate students at the selected universities in Mogadishu were physically active after the relaxation of COVID-19 rules in Somalia. Such a high level of PA is a significant advantage to public health.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease; Exercise; Lockdown; Public health; Questionnaire.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Communicable Disease Control
Exercise
Female
Humans
Male
Pandemics / prevention & control
Students
Universities

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2022R286), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.