- A new study highlights the importance of being active and spending time
outdoors, even during a pandemic.
- The researchers found that people who exercised more during lockdowns experienced
less anxiety and depression than those who did not exercise.
- They also found that people who spent more time outdoors had lower levels
of anxiety and depression than those who stayed inside.
- Although stopping viral transmission remains key, such research could help
governments reconsider some mitigation measures to lessen their negative
effects on mental health.
The extent of COVID-19 lockdowns, curfews, and pandemic mitigation measures
varied among countries throughout 2020 and 2021.
During the initial lockdown in March 2020, the United Kingdom, for example,
allowed only one exercise session — for instance, going for a walk,
run, or bike ride — a day. Turkey, meanwhile, did not make exceptions
for outdoor exercise and only permitted people to leave their homes to
shop for basic necessities. Many states in the United States took a different
approach and put no caps on time spent outdoors.
The researchers behind a new study, which appears in the journal
Preventive Medicine, aimed to look back on the effects such differences may have had on individuals
in terms of mental health, especially during the first wave of the pandemic
when the authorities imposed lockdowns.
They found that physical activity and time spent outdoors during the pandemic
were associated with better mental health.
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