Impact of middle- and long-distance running on mental health in college students in Guangzhou during COVID-19 outbreak / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the impact of middle- and long-distance running on mental health of students in a college in Guangzhou during the COVID-19 outbreak.@*METHODS@#We collected data using online questionnaires from the college students selected via snowball sampling. After exclusion of invalid questionnaires and matching the data of running exercise with physical test scores of the participants, 1022 questionnaires were deemed valid for analysis. Of the 1022 students, 869 completed at least a 60-km running distance each semester as required and 153 students did not complete the task. The mental health status of the students was evaluated using PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The scale scores were compared between the students who completed the running task and those who did not, and the factors affecting anxiety and depression were analyzed using univariate analysis and binary logistic regression.@*RESULTS@#The students who completed the running task had significantly higher physical test scores than those who did not complete the task (@*CONCLUSION@#Regular middleand long-distance running exercise may enhance the physical health to indirectly promote the mental health of the college students during COVID-19 outbreak.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE RUNNING ECONOMY AND THE HOPPING ECONOMY IN THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER / 体力科学

Running economy is an important factor in determining a performance of a long distance running. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the running economy and the submaximal hopping economy. Twelve long-distance runners performed a submaximal repeated hopping exercise on a force platform at a frequency of 2.2Hz and the maximum five-repeated rebound jumping (5RJ). Jumping height, contact time, maximum ground reaction force and oxygen intake were recorded during submaximal repeated hopping exercise. In addition, they performed the submaximal running for a distance of 3200m on an outdoor 400m track. Oxygen intake was recorded during the submaximal running. Then running economy (RE = V/VO₂) was calculated by using oxygen intake (VO₂) and running speeds (V). Hopping economy (HE = h/VO₂) was calculated by using oxygen intake (VO₂) and average jumping height (h). As a result of this study, we confirmed that a submaximal repeated hopping exercise performed for a ten-minute period was an aerobic exercise and a steady-state exercise. There was a significant positive correlation between RE and HE (r = 0.805, p＜0.01). These results suggest that hopping economy is an important factor in running economy. On the other hand, we did not find a significant correlation between HE and 5RJ. Furthermore, between RE and RJ index of the submaximal hopping exercise, a significant positive correlation was found (r = 0.735, p＜0.01). Therefore, RE seems to be connected with the Stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) function of the legs. We conclude that the SSC ability of a long distance runner can be evaluated appropriately by using the submaximal repeated hopping exercise of this study.