Data_Sheet_2_Just Do It: High Intensity Physical Activity Preserves Mental and Physical Health in Elite and Non-elite Athletes During COVID-19.docx

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced most Italian athletes to cease their regular training activities, with possible consequences on both mental and physical health. The present study aimed at assessing changes in Physical Activity (PA) from pre- to lockdown, and examining the relationships among lockdown PA, quality of life (mental and physical health), motivation to exercise, psychological distress, intolerance of uncertainty, and body dissatisfaction.
Methods: A total of 204 athletes of different sports (91 elite; 110 females; mean age = 22.55, SD = 5.76) answered an online survey investigating demographics, sport-related questions, PA (IPAQ-S), quality of life (SF-12), and psychological variables (BREQ-2, DASS-21, IUS-R, and EDI-3-Body dissatisfaction subscale).
Results: Both elite and non-elite athletes significantly reduced their PA intensity and volume (p < 0.001). Elite athletes did not differ from non-elite in terms of total PA intensity and hours of training during lockdown (p > 0.05). Elite and individual athletes showed higher intrinsic motivation to exercise compared to non-elite and team sports (p < 0.01). Female athletes displayed higher distress, worse mental health, and higher body dissatisfaction than males (p < 0.05). Mediation models showed that vigorous PA positively affected both mental (p < 0.05) and physical (p < 0.001) health during lockdown, independently of distress and intolerance of uncertainty.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 lockdown was taxing for athletes, particularly professionals; those who were able to practice PA at high intensity during lockdown reported better mental and physical health.

研究背景：新冠疫情（COVID-19 pandemic）迫使绝大多数意大利运动员暂停常规训练，此举可能对其身心健康均产生潜在不良影响。本研究旨在评估封控期相较于封控前的身体活动（Physical Activity, PA）变化，并探讨封控期身体活动、生活质量（涵盖身心健康维度）、运动动机、心理困扰、不确定性容忍度以及身体不满之间的关联。
研究方法：共计招募204名参与不同运动项目的运动员（其中91名为精英运动员，110名为女性，平均年龄为22.55岁，标准差SD=5.76），所有受试者均完成在线问卷，问卷内容涵盖人口统计学信息、运动相关问题、身体活动水平（采用IPAQ-S量表评估）、生活质量（采用SF-12量表评估）以及多项心理变量，包括运动行为调节问卷第二版（Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2, BREQ-2）、抑郁焦虑压力量表21项版（Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21, DASS-21）、不确定性忍受量表修订版（Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised, IUS-R）以及进食障碍问卷3（Eating Disorder Inventory-3, EDI-3）身体不满分量表。
研究结果：精英与非精英运动员的身体活动强度与总量均显著下降（p < 0.001）。封控期间，精英运动员与非精英运动员的总身体活动强度及训练时长无显著差异（p > 0.05）。相较于非精英运动员与团体项目运动员，精英运动员与个人项目运动员表现出更高的内在运动动机（p < 0.01）。女性运动员相较于男性，呈现出更高水平的心理困扰、更差的心理健康状态以及更显著的身体不满（p < 0.05）。中介模型分析表明，在控制心理困扰与不确定性容忍度的影响后，高强度身体活动对封控期的心理健康（p < 0.05）与身体健康（p < 0.001）均具有正向促进作用。
研究结论：新冠疫情封控对运动员，尤其是精英运动员，造成了显著负担；封控期间仍能维持高强度身体活动的受试者，其身心健康状况更佳。