Munehiro Tetsuguchi

This study aimed to investigate the effects of school closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on students' perceptions of physical activity and exercise. An online, form-based questionnaire was administered to students of elementary, junior high and high schools, and universities in Japan. The total number of respondents was 3,502. The questionnaire was designed to determine variations in anxiety about studying, physical fitness, and daily life, and the relative amounts of physical activity and exercise before and after school closures. The results demonstrated that anxiety about studying, physical fitness, and daily life following school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic differed according to gender and the type of school (P <0.05). The amounts of physical activity and exercise were both reduced. Additionally, the frequency and intensity of exercise decreased significantly among students who participated in sports clubs from junior high school through university (P <0.05). However, excercise frequency increased among university students not belonging to sports clubs (P <0.05). Weekly exercise frequency decreased among elementary through high school students (P <0.05) but increased among university students (P <0.05). Our results suggest that school closures have reduced the frequency and degree of physical activity and exercise among children and adolescents, as well as increasing their anxiety. We conclude that measures against the COVID-19 pandemic must focus on not only preventing the spread of infection but also health risks from a social viewpoint.

type:Article 本研究では,市民フェスティバルに参加した子どもを対象に,運動習慣と生活習慣との関連について検討を行った。その結果,対象の運動能力は男児では全身反応時間,女児では肺活量で高値を示した。一方,垂直跳び・閉眼片足立ちは男女ともに低値を示した。またほとんどの者が毎朝朝食を摂取しており,週に1回以上運動をしている者の割合が多く認められた。運動能力と運動習慣との関係ついてみると,運動能力の高い者は運動頻度が高い割合を示すことが認められた。以上より,地域と学校が協力し子どもが運動に触れ合う機会を多く作ることにより,良好な運動習慣を身につけさせる可能性が示唆された。 The purpose of this study was to determine relationship between exercise habits and lifestyle habits who took part in community festival in children. As results, jumping reaction time in boys and vital capacity in girls was higher than national average. Vertical jump and foot-balance with eyes closed in both sexes, however, were lower than national average. In lifestyle habits, most of subjects take a meal every day, and most of subjects who take pleasure in exercise showed high ratio in both sexes. Subjects who exercise more than once a week were high ratio in both sexes. Relationship between physical fitness and daily exercise habits, high-physical fitness was high exercise habits than low-physical fitness. In conclusion, it was suggested that it is necessary to accustom exercise habits which children were created opportunity for exercise by community and school to improve physical fitness in children.