Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Exercise Habits of College Students

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of facilities, including universities, in many parts of the world. College students who rely heavily on social connections for their physical and emotional health were likely affected negatively by social isolation, which in turn affected their well-being. The current study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on exercise habits among full-time college students. An anonymous online survey on weekly exercise frequency and perceived barriers to exercise participation pre- and during the COVID-19-led lockdown was completed. Based on the response by 179 full-time college students attending a university in the Western United States (M_age = 21.92, SD = 2.55; 26.3% male; 73.3% female), weekly frequency in resistance training, running/jogging, and walking decreased even though most felt that staying physically active during the COVID-19 outbreak was as important or more important. Perceptions of “lack of safety” and “lack of resources/equipment” increased, but “lack of time” decreased with the lockdown. The results suggest that the COVID-19-related lockdown significantly affected college students’ exercise habits. Exercise frequency decreased, and perceived barriers to exercise generally increased during the COVID-19 lockdown.