Percepção de barreiras para a prática de atividade física dos discentes do curso de Educação Física na pandemia da Covid 19

Abstract

Several factors can affect the practice of physical activities and the maintenance of a physically active lifestyle, and some of these factors are determined by demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about practices, environmental and interpersonal factors, recognized as barriers to practice of physical activity. However, little is known about the influence of barriers to physical activity in historically more physically active groups in a pandemic scenario. Objective: To analyze the association between the level of physical activity and the perception of barriers to the practice of physical activity by physical education students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study that analyzed a sample of 109 students of the bachelor's degree in physical education (fulltime and evening) at a university in Alagoas. Sociodemographic data, physical activity level, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) long version and barriers to physical activity were collected. Binary logistic regression (multivariate analysis) was used to identify the association between the level of physical activity and the variables of barriers to practice. Results: It was found that physical education students had a high level of physical activity (92.7%; 95%CI: 88.1 - 97.3) and sedentary behavior (68.2%; 95%CI: 64.8 - 71.6) during the pandemic. However, there was a perception of a decrease in the level of physical activity and an increase in time spent in sedentary behavior in relation to the period before the pandemic. The most frequently perceived barriers were “use of a mask being exhausting to practice physical activity” (82.6%: 95%CI: 78.4 - 86.7); “fear of contamination in gyms” (67.0%; 95%CI: 63.6 - 70.3) and “lack of income to hire a personal trainer” (65.1%; 95%CI: 61.9 - 68, 4). In the adjusted logistic regression analysis, it was identified that those who perceived the absence of the barrier “Not having family members practicing physical activity” were 6 times more likely to be physically active (OR = 6.4; 95%CI: 1.1-37.3; p. = 0.039) compared to those who perceived the presence of this barrier. Conclusion: It is concluded that despite the high level of physical activity of physical education students, during the period of the pandemic there was a decrease in the perception of physical activity practice and an increase in time in sedentary behavior. In addition, barriers to practice that were related to income and specificities of the disease in the pandemic were more present. However, only the barrier related to the practice of physical activity by family members proved to be important to influence the practice of physical activity of students.