THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19

ABSTRACT Introduction The isolation policy caused by COVID-19 is plaguing physical exercise behavior, which seems to affect college students’ physical and mental health. Objective Understand the current situation of college students’ exercise behavior during COVID-19, analyzing the physical and mental health status to provide policy guidance on formulating appropriate exercise behavior for college students in the context of the epidemic. Methods 250 students from 20 colleges and universities in China were randomly selected as observation volunteers. The adherents’ exercise-related behavior and physical and mental health were observed and analyzed by questionnaire, and subsequently evaluated according to statistical methods. Results The results showed that exercise motivation, exercise frequency, exercise duration, and exercise items of the surveyed individuals affected the physical and mental health of college students; these effects were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion Under the control of COVID-19, college students should correct their motivation to exercise by choosing their own exercise programs to set a frequency and prolong the duration of exercise to improve their physical and mental health. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigating treatment outcomes.