The effect of level of doing sports activities and attitude towards recreational activities on burnout level and COVID-19 phobia in physicians

ABSTRACT

It has been recommended to implement physically active lifestyles against the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic process, many healthcare professionals had to lead a stressful life due to long hours of intensive healthcare. This situation directly affected the burnout levels of physicians as well as indirectly affected patients seeking treatment. The goal of this study was to look into the effects of physicians' levels of participation in sports, their attitudes toward sporting recreational activities, and the effects of COVID-19 phobias on burnout. 272 physicians participated in the study. The Health Belief Scale Regarding Sports Recreational Activities (HBSSRA), Maslach Burnout Scale (MBI), and COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S) were used during data collection. Spearman correlation coefficient was used for correlation analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare groups, and logistic regression analysis was used to establish a model. MBI total and emotional exhaustion scores were significantly different according to the physicians' participation levels in sportive activities (P=0.740, P=0.136). Statistically significant correlation was found between HBSSRA and MBI total scores (r=-0.313, P=0.009). The probability of emotional exhaustion was 1.45 times higher in physicians with low level of participation in sports activities. The increase in HBSSRA scores had a protective effect on emotional burnout (P=0.028, OR 0.72). We are hopeful that the findings obtained from physicians will highlight the importance of sports and recreational activities, paving the way for improvement strategies that will benefit those who are most affected by the COVID-19 crisis.