Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults?
COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social disruption has left many to struggle with changes to routines and feelings of uncertainty as the impact of the virus continues to unfold. Evidence suggests an increa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcomm.2020.571833/full |
| _version_ | 1818031907139485696 |
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| author | Guy Faulkner Ryan E. Rhodes Leigh M. Vanderloo Leigh M. Vanderloo Tala Chulak-Bozer Norm O'Reilly Leah Ferguson John C. Spence |
| author_facet | Guy Faulkner Ryan E. Rhodes Leigh M. Vanderloo Leigh M. Vanderloo Tala Chulak-Bozer Norm O'Reilly Leah Ferguson John C. Spence |
| author_sort | Guy Faulkner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social disruption has left many to struggle with changes to routines and feelings of uncertainty as the impact of the virus continues to unfold. Evidence suggests an increase in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress as a result. Given the well-documented association between physical activity and mental health—be it preventing the onset of depressive or anxious symptoms to minimizing the prognosis of certain conditions—we posit more emphasis be placed in health communications on physical activity as a coping strategy for Canadians. As the ramifications of COVID-19 continue, coupled with the concern of a pending second wave, identifying how Canadians are managing stress and mental health can inform the development of interventions aimed at mitigating the negative impact of COVID-19 on adults' overall wellness. Though social interactions and activities might look different right now, Canadians should be actively looking for safe ways to engage in health promoting and socializing behaviors—physical activity is one such behavior. Herein we explore how a representative sample of Canadian adults are coping with increased stress and mental health issues as a result of COVID-19 and identify a potential disconnect between considering physical activity as a strategy to support social connection and stress management and how Canadians are coping with the pandemic. Given the protective role of physical activity in supporting mental health, our perspective is that health communication efforts should focus on the mental health benefits of physical activity particularly during these uncertain times. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T05:58:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-416bddc5710e45d09e6447ff45fc84df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T05:58:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-416bddc5710e45d09e6447ff45fc84df2022-12-22T01:59:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2020-09-01510.3389/fcomm.2020.571833571833Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults?Guy Faulkner0Ryan E. Rhodes1Leigh M. Vanderloo2Leigh M. Vanderloo3Tala Chulak-Bozer4Norm O'Reilly5Leah Ferguson6John C. Spence7School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaBehavioural Medicine Laboratory, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, CanadaParticipACTION, Toronto, ON, CanadaChild Health and Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, CanadaChild Health and Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, CanadaSchool of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaCollege of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaFaculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaCOVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social disruption has left many to struggle with changes to routines and feelings of uncertainty as the impact of the virus continues to unfold. Evidence suggests an increase in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress as a result. Given the well-documented association between physical activity and mental health—be it preventing the onset of depressive or anxious symptoms to minimizing the prognosis of certain conditions—we posit more emphasis be placed in health communications on physical activity as a coping strategy for Canadians. As the ramifications of COVID-19 continue, coupled with the concern of a pending second wave, identifying how Canadians are managing stress and mental health can inform the development of interventions aimed at mitigating the negative impact of COVID-19 on adults' overall wellness. Though social interactions and activities might look different right now, Canadians should be actively looking for safe ways to engage in health promoting and socializing behaviors—physical activity is one such behavior. Herein we explore how a representative sample of Canadian adults are coping with increased stress and mental health issues as a result of COVID-19 and identify a potential disconnect between considering physical activity as a strategy to support social connection and stress management and how Canadians are coping with the pandemic. Given the protective role of physical activity in supporting mental health, our perspective is that health communication efforts should focus on the mental health benefits of physical activity particularly during these uncertain times.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcomm.2020.571833/fullCOVIDphysical activitymental healthsocial marketinghealth communication |
| spellingShingle | Guy Faulkner Ryan E. Rhodes Leigh M. Vanderloo Leigh M. Vanderloo Tala Chulak-Bozer Norm O'Reilly Leah Ferguson John C. Spence Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults? Frontiers in Communication COVID physical activity mental health social marketing health communication |
| title | Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults? |
| title_full | Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults? |
| title_fullStr | Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults? |
| title_short | Physical Activity as a Coping Strategy for Mental Health Due to the COVID-19 Virus: A Potential Disconnect Among Canadian Adults? |
| title_sort | physical activity as a coping strategy for mental health due to the covid 19 virus a potential disconnect among canadian adults |
| topic | COVID physical activity mental health social marketing health communication |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcomm.2020.571833/full |
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