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Physical Activity And Mental Health Journal – Increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior have positive effects on psychological well-being and are associated with reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. These effects were well established before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, physical activity behaviors and mental health among Canadians worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical activity in some groups, including children, has been disproportionately affected during the pandemic by measures such as school and leisure closures. In addition, the lack of safe, accessible physical activity opportunities for some population groups will persist even after the pandemic due to structural inequalities such as unequal access to indoor or outdoor recreation spaces, as well as built environment characteristics, which may ultimately negatively affect mental health. Promoting physical activity can help optimize both physical and mental health among Ontarians during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining and enhancing emotional well-being through engagement in physical activity can be facilitated by providing publicly accessible and proportionately distributed indoor and outdoor recreational spaces, as well as supporting policies that address the relationship between the built environment and physical activity.
Optimal physical activity through regular physical activity and minimization of sedentary behavior to promote mental and physical well-being are outlined in the Canadian 24-Hour Physical Activity Guidelines and by the World Health Organization (WHO). These guidelines recommend that all Canadians be routinely active, participating in at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week for adults, and limiting sedentary behavior by reducing sedentary activities during waking hours. Evidence suggests clear associations between participating in physical activity and lower levels of depression and anxiety across the lifespan. Even when minimal physical activity levels are not met, some physical activity is better than none. Before the covid-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada reported that Canadians spent most of their time being sedentary and did not meet the guidelines.
Physical Activity And Mental Health Journal
What impact have changes in levels of physical activity or sedentary behavior during the covid-19 pandemic had on the mental health of the general population?
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Patterns of declining physical activity worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Ontarians and other Canadians were significantly less active and even more sedentary. Studies have associated these rapid declines with pandemic-related measures, including school and recreation closures. However, physical activity patterns in Ontario’s diverse population before and during the covid-19 pandemic show inequities in the availability of supports needed by Ontarians to maintain, re-engage, initiate and maintain regular performance of optimal exercise behaviours, with certain demographic groups having fewer resources ( such as living in cramped or small spaces, lack of private garden/green space, insufficient childcare or care support) to engage in physical activity. Built environment factors, including neighborhood walkability, are also important drivers of physical activity. Global data indicate that participation in physical activity has been associated with improved quality of life, well-being, and reduced depressive symptoms and anxiety during the pandemic.
Considerations of equity, access and the social determinants of health that limit the ability of all Ontarians to become more active during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are critical for policymakers. This includes accessibility, safety and availability of indoor, outdoor or green spaces for physical activity. However, access to recreation and green space is not equitably distributed across neighborhoods in many Ontario communities. Furthermore, consideration of the built environment and ways to encourage physical activity through increased walkability can make significant changes to physical activity opportunities for a broad segment of Ontarians, which in turn can improve mental well-being. Policymakers should consider health-in-everything policies and public health should work with municipal and regional planners to promote healthy community design. Opportunities to improve and encourage physical activity as a means of promoting mental well-being are a critical step in the recovery process from the covid-19 pandemic.
Movement behaviors include physical activity (PA), which is movement done at all levels of skill, and sedentary behavior (SB), which refers to all waking behaviors with low movement (eg, activities performed while sitting or lying down.
While the benefits of regular PA on physical health are well established, the 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines acknowledge PA’s impact on mental health for the first time. Mental health refers to a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and can contribute to his or her community.
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The beneficial effects of PA on mental health appear to be attributable to improved ability to cope with stress
Associations between PA and mental health in the general population are evidenced by cross-sectional and prospective studies, as well as clinical trials, where PA is associated with a lower incidence of depression and anxiety.
Two recent Canadian studies showed that a combination of high PA and low SB was associated with better psychological well-being.
The benefits of PA on mental health have been demonstrated for healthy individuals, as well as those with a prior history of depression.
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Guidelines for PA vary by age group and approach. Table 1 describes the WHO guidelines as well as the 24-hour movement guidelines for Canada. Consistent with minimum recommendations for PA, reduced mental health burden was most strongly associated with 45 minutes of activity performed 3 to 5 times per week.
Before the covid-19 pandemic, only half of Canadians reported meeting the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for PA (2018 and 2019 Canadian Health Measures Survey),
Although activity tracking devices that monitor actual movement suggest that the proportion of Canadian adults achieving recommended PA guidelines may be much lower.
However, there is evidence of physical and mental health benefits even for those who do not meet PA or physical activity guidelines. Light-intensity PA, such as vacuuming or other daily activities, reduces time spent sedentary and improves physical and mental health outcomes.
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Healthy individuals who performed PA of any type were more likely to report greater emotional and physical well-being regardless of individual baseline fitness level.
In Ontario, public health measures to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have included periods of closures of both indoor and outdoor activities along with stay-at-home orders. This brief examines the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on PA and also considers opportunities to optimize and increase PA among Ontarians.
What impact have changes in levels of physical activity (PA) or sedentary behavior (SB) during the covid-19 pandemic had on mental health in the general population?
Stay-at-home orders, as well as indoor and outdoor closures to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 both globally and in Ontario, have had the unintended consequence of reducing PA.
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In Canada, PA declined significantly after the pandemic began in March 2020, as evidenced by decreases in moderate-to-vigorous PA, light PA, average number of steps taken, and increased sedentary time during the early part of the pandemic.
Furthermore, light PA and average number of steps taken remained low, suggesting fewer opportunities to engage in occasional PA and sustained increases in overall SB.
A survey of Canadian adults conducted in December 2020 and March 2021 that asked about current physical activity and sports participation, and how it relates to pre-pandemic activity, found that moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA decreased and SB increased across age groups.
Overall, Canadians who reported having better mental health during the first months of the pandemic were more likely to have had higher levels of physical activity during this time.
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These findings parallel global studies of the pandemic showing that PA was associated with improved quality of life and well-being, and fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms in the general adult population in the United States and beyond.
In one of the first Canadian studies of PA during the pandemic, lack of access to adequate space and equipment due to the widespread closure of gyms and other shared facilities, lack of time and poor motivation were cited as main reasons for reduced PA levels among the general public.
Lack of space and equipment contributed to reduced motivation to engage in PA, while other factors that explained poor motivation were anxiety and insufficient social support in a survey of 1,669 Canadians, mainly women aged 18-29 years.
Global studies reported that among individuals engaged in regular PA pre-pandemic, decreases in PA after the onset of the pandemic were associated with increases in negative mood states including depression.
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However, the decrease in PA frequency with the onset of the pandemic was not universal. Those who were previously inactive but maintained or increased their PA levels during the pandemic had higher social, emotional, and psychological health and lower generalized anxiety symptoms compared to those who decreased their PA levels.
These findings were also observed in older adults: those with low levels of PA pre-pandemic showed immediate physical and psychological benefits when they started PA.
Regarding the level of intensity of PA and its association with mental health, moderate to vigorous levels of PA, as commonly prescribed by WHO and other guidelines, have been linked to reduced levels of depression and anxiety during the pandemic.
However, it is noteworthy that other studies have shown that engaging in any intensity level of PA, which may include household chores such as vacuuming or active transportation such as walking while running errands, was associated with improved quality of life and reduced negative psychosocial effects
