ArticleCureus2023
The Impact of Distance Learning and COVID-19 Lockdown on Students' Physical Activity and Musculoskeletal Health.
Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and associated risk factors in canadian university students.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- Regional differences of physical fitness and overweight and obesity prevalence among college students before and after COVID-19 pandemic since the "double first-class" initiative in China.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeDuring the past two years, in most institutions worldwide, educational activities were remodeled for remote delivery, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of two-year distance learning on the physical activity and musculoskeletal health of university students.
methodsThis was a national, cross-sectional study using data collected via an online questionnaire distributed through university communication platforms, which included questions on online education routines, musculoskeletal health, and physical activity of university students.
resultsIn total, 1,366 students (65% female, 35% male) from 11 universities took part in the survey. The most common sites of reported pain were the neck (59.5%), shoulders (22.8%), back (29%), and low back (66.7%). Musculoskeletal pain significantly increased during the lockdown, according to the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain (before: 2.7 ± 1.6; during: 5.5 ± 2.2, p<0.001). Everyday pain was referred by significantly more students during the lockdown (4.5% vs 36.1 %, p<0.001), while the percentage of asymptomatic students was significantly decreased (40.5% vs 6.1%, p<0.001). Concerning physical activity, the percentage of students who did not exercise significantly increased during the lockdown (15.1% vs 23.2%, p<0.001). Distance learning and total screen time were positively correlated with VAS for pain scores. On the contrary, an increased frequency of ergonomic position, walking intervals, and physical activity was associated with significantly decreased VAS for pain scores.
conclusionsDistance learning and limited physical activity led to a significant increase in musculoskeletal pain in university students, while exercise and ergonomic body position were considered protective factors. Interventions to encourage physical activity and healthy studying habits should be developed by universities, since distance learning may be again necessary for the future.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.