Impact of a COVID-19 infection on exercise levels of recreational athletes one- and three-months post-infection.

ABSTRACT

We examined the effect of a COVID-19 infection on changes in exercise levels in recreational athletes in the first three months after infection, and identified personal factors associated with a larger change in exercise level and recovery time. Recreational athletes (n=4360) completed an online questionnaire on health and exercise levels. 601 Athletes have had a diagnostically confirmed COVID-19 infection, while 3479 athletes did not (non-COVID-19 group). Exercise levels (in MET-min/week) were examined prior to (2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) for the non-COVID-19 group, and in 2019, 1-month pre-COVID-19 infection, 1-month post-COVID-19 infection and 3 months post-COVID-19 infection in the COVID-19 group. Median exercise level at baseline in the COVID-19 group was 3528 (IQR=1488-5760) MET-min/week. One-month post-COVID-19 infection, exercise level dropped 58% (2038 MET-min/week), which partly stabilized to 36% (1256 MET-min/week) below baseline values 3 months post-COVID-19 infection. Moreover, in both the COVID-19 (pre-COVID-19 infection) and non-COVID-19 group exercise levels during the pandemic decreased with ~260 MET-min/week. These results illustrate that even a relatively physically active population of recreational athletes is significantly affected by a COVID-19 infection, particularly those athletes who are overweight. COVID-19 disease burden, age, sex, comorbidities and smoking were not associated with reduced exercise levels.