Effects of physical exercise, including whole body vibration, on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

In addition to its positive effects on strengthening immunity, exercise can help reduce the negative effects of pandemic stress and, if properly used, can have a significant impact on the mental health of many people around the world. In most countries, however, there is still a serious lack of will to create appropriate physical exercise programs to improve mental health in this context. Therefore, scientists from Wuhan Sports University (China) have investigated the relationship between different types of exercise, including whole body vibration (WBV), and the mental stresses associated with COVID-19.

• In the analyzed timeframe of the peak of SARS-CoV-2 infections in China, a positive correlation was demonstrated between the number of cases with mental health disorders and the regional proportions of confirmed COVID-19 cases (r = 0.365).
• The main factors that caused the deterioration of the mental health of the respondents were: the severity of the epidemic (63%), extended home quarantine (61%), negative information about COVID-19 in the media (51%), limitations in social interactions (46%), concerns about the education of students (43%) and the possibility of being infected with the virus (41%).
• An association has been observed between exercise and mental health. Home group exercises, traditional Chinese sports and popular sports, including WBV, gave the best results. The time and intensity of the exercises were also important. The best results were achieved with a total of 120-270 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

Prepared on the basis of:

Association Between Physical Exercise and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study. Nie Y, Ma Y, Wu Y et al. Front Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 16;12:722448.

Study population

Nearly 15,000 not infected with COVID-19 inhabitants of 31 Chinese provinces covered by the physical fitness monitoring system were included. The peak period of COVID-19 infections in China, i.e. January 24 to April 22 (2020), was analyzed retrospectively. The participants were divided into 10 age groups, including people up to 17 years of age in the first group and – over 60 in the last group.

Test procedure

Retrospective survey research was conducted. The content of the questionnaires included, among others, data on physical activity (Chinese version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-C)) and mental health (50-item Mental Health Self-Assessment Table of Chinese Residents During the COVID-19 Epidemic Summit – Based on Symptom List 90 (SCL-90)).

Use of vibration in the study

Some of the respondents indicated vibrotherapy as a method of physical exercise – they used WBV.

Results

According to the results obtained, Chinese residents experienced several aspects of mental health deterioration during the peak of COVID-19 infections. There was also a positive correlation between the number of cases with mental health disorders and the regional proportions of confirmed COVID-19 cases (r = 0.365, p <0.05).

The main factors causing the deterioration of mental health were the severity of the epidemic (62.77%, 95% CI 58.62-65.64%), prolonged home quarantine (60.84%, 95% CI 58.15-63, 25%), the spread of a large amount of negative information about COVID -19 in the media (50.78%, 95% CI 47.46-53.15%), limitations in everyday life and social interactions (45.93%, 95 % CI 42.46-47.55%), concerns about students’ education (43.13%, 95% CI 40.26-45.48%) and the possibility of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus causing COVID-19 (41.13%, 95% CI 39.16-45.23%).

There was a statistically significant relationship between exercise and mental health. Home group exercises (e.g. family games, skipping rope and badminton), traditional Chinese sports (e.g. Chinese martial arts, Taijiquan and Qigong) and popular sports (e.g. yoga, video dancing, sensory-motor games and WBV) produced the best results. The time and intensity of the exercises were also important. The best results were obtained with 30-60 minutes per session of moderate intensity exercises repeated 3-5 times a week (a total of 120-270 minutes of exercises per week) (p <0.05).

Comment

The analyzed physical exercises were significantly associated with improved mental health self-esteem during the COVID-19 pandemic. Certain types of exercise, their intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise, may be more effective than others in reducing mental health burden during home quarantine and social distancing. Home group exercises, traditional Chinese sports and popular sports, including WBV, gave the best results.

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