Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and academic performance among medical students; A single center study from Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and academic performance among students of Majmaah University, KSA. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 200 all year’s medical students of either gender of Majmaah University. Complete enumeration technique was used for data collection. An online google form was shared with the study participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24. The study was completed in six months. Results: Students with higher grades spent most of their time sitting without engaging in mild to moderate or severe physical activity. We found that 43 (21.5%) participants gained 1-5kg, 42 (21%) 5-10kg, 14 (7%) gained more than 10kg. On the other hand, 38 (19%) participants lost 1-5kg, 30 (15%) lost 5-10kg, 18 (9%) lost more than 10kg and 114 (57%) of the participants had no change in weight during the corona pandemic. Conclusion: Regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, physical inactivity is considered as a separate pandemic. Students' capacity to engage in sufficient amounts of physical activity to preserve health and avoid disease may have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.