Association between Stress and Physical Fitness of University Students Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Author:

Suwannakul Boonsita1,Sangkarit Noppharath12,Manoy Pacharee1,Amput Patchareeya12ORCID,Tapanya Weerasak12ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Science, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand

2. Unit of Excellence of Human Performance and Rehabilitations, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand

Abstract

Post-COVID-19 pandemic, most universities changed their educational model from online courses to onsite learning, allowing students to attend regular face-to-face classes. These changes can cause stress in students, which affects physical fitness. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress levels and physical fitness in female university students. The participants were 101 female university students, 18–23 years of age. All participants completed the Suan Prung Stress Test-60 (SPST-60). The physical fitness test included body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as musculoskeletal fitness. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the associations between SPST-60 scores and physical fitness. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We found a negative correlation between the sources of stress scores, here environment, and maximal oxygen consumption (β = −0.291; 95% CI, −0.551, −0.031). We also found that symptoms of stress scores in the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems were positively associated with waist-hip circumference ratio (WHR) (β = 0.010; 95% CI, 0.002, 0.017 and β = 0.006; 95% CI, 0.000, 0.012, respectively). Moreover, the symptoms of stress, here emotion, were positively associated with the WHR (β = 0.005; 95 %CI, 0.001, 0.009) and negatively associated with upper extremity muscle strength (β = −0.005; 95% CI, −0.009, 0.000). The results of this study confirmed the associations between stress levels in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era and WHR, maximal oxygen consumption, and upper extremity muscle strength. As a result, stress reduction or prevention alternatives should be considered in order to maintain physical fitness and prevent stress disorders.

Funder

School of Allied Health Science, University of Phayao

Thailand Science Research and Innovation funds and the University of Phayao

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine,Histology,Rheumatology,Anatomy

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3