Wyva
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Robert Podstawski, Krzysztof Borysławski, Jadwiga Snarska, Attila Szabo, Piotr Jurewicz, Ferenc Ihasz
Abstract
Background
The long-term relationships between COVID-19 and anthropometric and physiological characteristics as indicators of health status have not been extensively studied to date.
Aim
The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between COVID-19 and the HRmax values achieved by female university students during maximal physical effort, the participants’ physical activity (PA) levels and anthropometric and physiological characteristics ten months after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
The study involved 82 female university students aged 19.0–28.0 years. Half of the study population had a history of COVID-19. The participants’ body composition was evaluated in a bioelectrical impedance analysis. The students’ PA levels were assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and their HRmax values were measured during the 12-minute Cooper test on a rowing ergometer (12-MCTRE).
Results
Healthy students (G1) were characterized by the highest PA levels. Physical activity levels were lower in students who had a history of COVID-19 but had not been hospitalized (G2), and lowest in students who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 (G3). Healthy controls were also characterized by significantly lower body mass, the body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, and visceral fat levels, as well as lower values of body fat mass, fat free mass, and skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.001). The highest HRmax (175 bpm) was noted in group G1 students, and it significantly exceeded the values in groups G2 (by 7 bpm) and G3 (by 15 bpm).
Conclusions
Ten months after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, female students who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 were characterized by significantly lower levels of PA and motor fitness, as well as less favorable body composition parameters (class 1 obesity). These observations may explain the lower HRmax values in group G3 women than in healthy controls
Open access: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6786530/v1
Abstract
Background
The long-term relationships between COVID-19 and anthropometric and physiological characteristics as indicators of health status have not been extensively studied to date.
Aim
The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between COVID-19 and the HRmax values achieved by female university students during maximal physical effort, the participants’ physical activity (PA) levels and anthropometric and physiological characteristics ten months after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
The study involved 82 female university students aged 19.0–28.0 years. Half of the study population had a history of COVID-19. The participants’ body composition was evaluated in a bioelectrical impedance analysis. The students’ PA levels were assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and their HRmax values were measured during the 12-minute Cooper test on a rowing ergometer (12-MCTRE).
Results
Healthy students (G1) were characterized by the highest PA levels. Physical activity levels were lower in students who had a history of COVID-19 but had not been hospitalized (G2), and lowest in students who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 (G3). Healthy controls were also characterized by significantly lower body mass, the body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, and visceral fat levels, as well as lower values of body fat mass, fat free mass, and skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.001). The highest HRmax (175 bpm) was noted in group G1 students, and it significantly exceeded the values in groups G2 (by 7 bpm) and G3 (by 15 bpm).
Conclusions
Ten months after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, female students who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 were characterized by significantly lower levels of PA and motor fitness, as well as less favorable body composition parameters (class 1 obesity). These observations may explain the lower HRmax values in group G3 women than in healthy controls
Open access: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6786530/v1