ABSTRACT
Purpose: Disturbance to physical and psychological characteristics among COVID-19 survivors are not uncommon complications. In the current systematic review, we aimed to investigate the role of exercise rehabilitation programs, either in acute or post-acute phase, on COVID-19 patients' outcomes. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in November 2021 of Web of Sciences, PubMed-Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Observational and intervention studies on COVID-19-infected patients undergoing a rehabilitation program including any type of exercise were included if they reported physical or psychological factors as outcomes. The Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist were used by two independent reviewers. Results: A total number of 469, and 957 patients were included in 9 intervention studies, and 14 observational studies, respectively. Most factors reported by studies as outcomes fell in the categories of exercise capacity, respiratory function, as well as psychological aspects. The reported outcomes in almost all studies, disclosed the overall beneficial role of exercise rehabilitation in improving the outcomes. Conclusion: The current review demonstrated that exercise rehabilitation generally could have a beneficial role in improvement of both physical and psychological related outcomes. As the best onset time, and FITT components are not yet completely clear, further large, well-designed RCTs are suggested to provide details of exercise rehabilitation program.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Physical activity-enhancing websites have created a new accessible and cost-effective method to increase the level of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an individualized internet-based physical activity program on improving physical activity level. Methods This study conducted May-Dec 2018 was a single blind parallel group randomized controlled trial. Participants were recruited by distributing advertisements on popular Persian websites. Participants meeting eligibility criteria were randomly assigned to individualized (N=91) or non-individualized internet-based physical activity (N=93) intervention groups. The designed website for the study included an interactive computer-tailored exercise program that generated progressing physical activity recommendations for individualized intervention group based on the progression process for 10 weeks and a fixed exercise program for non-individualized group. Results Drop outs in the individualized group were 15 and in the non-individualized group were 14. Following the ten-week exercise program, the individualized group's physical activity level according to GPAQ questionnaire assessments was significantly improved in the travel section (p-value <0.001), recreational activities (p-value: 0.036), and total physical activity (p-value <0.001) compared to the beginning of the study. The physical activity level in the travel section (p-value <0.001) and total physical activity (p-value: 0.009), were significantly improved in the individualized group (N=76) compared to the non-individualized group (N=79). No adverse effects were reported. Conclusions Based on the current study, an individualized internet-based physical activity intervention might be effective in improving the level of physical activity. Conducting future studies during the COVID-19 pandemic is mandated to assess the impact.