COVID-19, atividade física e sintomatologia ansiosa: perspectivas e inovações em uma nova era

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the associations between physical activity and anxious symptomatology in different populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this investigation are presented in two scientific papers and a book chapter. The first study aimed to translate the Pre-Exercise Screening Questionnaire (PESQ) into Portuguese. The instrument was duly translated by researchers from Brazil and a researcher from Portugal and can be used as a screening tool for COVID-19 symptoms by exercise professionals, while the pandemic lasts. The second product consisted of a systematic review, which aimed to evaluate the effects of physical activity specifically on anxious symptoms, in studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The search resulted in 432 possible eligible studies. After removing 231 duplicates, 201 studies were selected for title analysis and abstract reading, resulting in 42 studies for detailed analysis. Eighteen papers met the eligibility criteria, of which 16 were cross sectional and 2 were cohort studies. The included studies were published between 2020 and 2022 and data collection ranged from February to June 2020. The number of participants ranged from 43 to 2,301, with participants aged 18 and over. The present review showed that physical activity is associated with a decrease in anxiety symptoms during confinement in the COVID-19 pandemic. We emphasize the importance of intensity, duration, and weekly frequency, which showed better effects of decreasing anxious symptoms in more active individuals, suggesting a proportional dose-response relationship between physical activity on anxiety symptoms.