Impact of Physical Activity on COVID-19

Jia Yang; Xiang Li; Taiyu He; Fangyuan Ju; Ye Qiu; Zuguo Tian

doi:10.3390/ijerph192114108

Impact of Physical Activity on COVID-19

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 28;19(21):14108. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192114108.

Authors

Jia Yang¹, Xiang Li¹, Taiyu He², Fangyuan Ju³, Ye Qiu⁴, Zuguo Tian¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Physical Education, Hunan University, Changsha 410012, China.
² Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
³ College of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225012, China.
⁴ College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410012, China.

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is seriously endangering human health worldwide. This study finds effective intervention modalities of physical activity on COVID-19 through a narrative review.

Methods: In this study, 41 papers were selected for a narrative literature review after a comprehensive database search from 20 December 2019, to 30 August 2022.

Results: 41 articles meet the established criteria, and in this review, we comprehensively describe recent studies on exercise and COVID-19, including the impact and recommendations of exercise on COVID-19 prevention, patients with COVID-19, and noninfected populations.

Conclusions: The literature suggests that physical activity (PA) contributes to the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, can promote recovery of physical function, alleviate post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, and improve patients' psychological well-being. It is recommended to develop appropriate exercise prescriptions for different populations under the guidance of a physician.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; physical activity.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Exercise
Humans
Pandemics / prevention & control
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Hunan Province Philosophy and Social Science Foundation Award Project, grant number: 18JL03; Humanities and Social Sciences Research Fund Project of Yangzhou University, grant number Xjj2021-17.