ArticleHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2021
Mental Health and Physical Activity in Health-Related University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Article in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 105 citations in OpenAlex.
- Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: an updated systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis in a combined sample of 3.3 million people.British journal of sports medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Global prevalence and trend of anxiety among graduate students: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Brain and behavior · 2023Pooled it
- Intervention of Physical Activity for University Students with Anxiety and Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The Assessment of Prevalence and Predictors of Impostor Phenomenon Feelings Among Dental Students in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina-A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Physical Activity of University Students During COVID-19 Restrictions: Evidence from Poland.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Health Anxiety and Health-Related Behaviors Among Chinese Medical Students.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2026Article
- Trajectories of mental distress and quality of life during Ramadan fasting in young Israeli Muslims are gender-specific.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A network analysis of the associations between COVID-19-related variables and health across sex, age and educational levels among Ghanaian youths.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Physical literacy, sense of belonging in the sports environment, and college students' mental health: an analysis of relational paths based on differences in exercise groups.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Perceived physical literacy and subjective wellbeing in university students: the indirect association via autonomous sports motivation.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Article
- Physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic: A 5-year retrospect.Sports medicine and health science · 2025Review
- The Mental Well-Being of Graduate Students in Canada: A Scoping Review.American journal of health promotion : AJHP · 2025Article
- Factors Influencing the Mental Health of First-Year College Students: Evidence from Digital Records of Daily Behaviors.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- An evaluation of physical activity levels and mental health among young people: a cross-sectional study.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Remote learning and physical activity in medical students from Latin America: a cross-sectional study during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Investigation on the association between college students' smartphone-related behaviors and sleep quality during COVID-19.PloS one · 2025Article
- Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms Among Students in Croatia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Exercise, mental well-being and burnout in Thai medical students in 2020-2021: an online cross-sectional survey.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Perceptions and challenges of online teaching and learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in India: a cross-sectional study with dental students and teachers.BMC medical education · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to increased negative emotional states among students. Physical activity is known to have positive impacts on mental health and well-being. However, due to the closure of gyms and other recreational facilities as a restrictive measure, students' physical activity levels may decrease. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms and physical activity among health-related students during the second partial COVID-19 lockdown. The study included 823 students from the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health of the University of Osijek in Croatia. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the Godin-Shephard Leisure Time Questionnaire for Physical Activity (GSLTPAQ) questionnaires were used to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms as well as physical activity. Two-thirds (59.2%) of students in health-related fields were insufficiently active, while the prevalence of depression (50.8%), anxiety (50.9%), and stress (49.9%) symptoms were high. Also, female respondents had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than their male counterparts. Graduate students had higher levels of all three negative emotional states, but only anxiety levels were significant. This study shows that students in health-related fields had reduced physical activity and a high prevalence of negative emotional conditions (depression, anxiety, and stress) during the second partial lockdown. The resulting symptoms were mostly of mild intensity; however, we consider this a significant mental health issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, it is crucial to control and support students' mental health, especially in more affected female individuals, in order to reduce the pandemic's negative impact.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.