ABSTRACT
Abstract This systematic review aimed to investigate the effect of physical activity on anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three databases (PubMed; Scopus and Web of Science) were searched in the period from 2020 to 2022 the following base terms were used: "Physical Activity", Exercise, Anxiety and COVID-19. Peer-reviewed, primary studies published in English, Portuguese and Spanish using valid and reliable measures were included. Eighteen studies met the eligibility criteria, of which 17 were cross-sectional, 2 were cohort studies. The number of participants ranged from 43 to 2,301, aged between 18 and 65 years or older. A decrease in PA practice or an increase in sitting time were associated with higher levels of anxiety symptoms. Additionally, participants who did not meet PA recommendations were more likely to experience moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. The results showed that physical activity is associated with the alleviation of anxiety symptoms during confinement in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resumo Esta revisão sistemática teve como objetivo investigar o efeito da atividade física nos sintomas de ansiedade durante a pandemia de COVID-19. Foram pesquisadas três bases de dados (PubMed; Scopus e Web of Science) no período de 2020 a 2022 foram utilizados os seguintes termos base: "Physical Activity", Exercise, Anxiety e COVID-19. Foram incluídos estudos primários, revisados por pares, publicados em inglês, português e espanhol usando medidas válidas e confiáveis. Dezoito estudos preencheram os critérios de elegibilidade, sendo 17 transversais, 2 estudos de coorte. O número de participantes variou de 43 a 2.301, com idade entre 18 e 65 anos ou mais. Uma diminuição na prática de AF ou um aumento no tempo sentado foram associados a níveis mais elevados de sintomas de ansiedade. Além disso, os participantes que não atendiam às recomendações de AF eram mais propensos a apresentar sintomas de ansiedade moderados a graves. Os resultados mostraram que a atividade física está associada ao alívio dos sintomas de ansiedade durante o confinamento na pandemia de COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
There is enough evidence that, nowadays, the sedentary lifestyle is one of the major health problems worldwide, linked to many chronic diseases, including mental comorbidities, systemic hypertension, metabolic dysregulation, and cancer. Although health societies recommend engagement to physical activities, there is an overwhelming number of people remaining sedentary, even knowing the health benefits of regular exercises. One of the main factors that justifies this scenario is the lack of motivation, which is a barrier to people intended to start new habits for health. Considering this previous information, new alternatives for exercises may help people engage in a healthier lifestyle. Technology has contributed to this with devices that allow movements based on virtual reality approaches, including the exergames. These are games available even in commercial devices, as video-games, that allow people to work with different physical components. Furthermore, exergames add cognitive gain through its dual-task characteristic. Moreover, due to the combination of these benefits, they are feasible to acquire, and easy to use. Exergames are not only a potential strategy to reduce sedentary lifestyle but also a good method to improve health gains and rehabilitation in different populations and pathological conditions: older adults, stroke survivors, and Parkinson's disease. In this review, we aim to demonstrate some conditions that literature supports the intervention with exergames due to its physical and cognitive benefits. Furthermore, at the end of this review, we also explore the neurobiological mechanisms behind virtual-reality based exercises.
