Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Sport Sciences for Health, 2023 (ESCI)
Purpose: Protective factors against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an illness caused by a new type of virus, identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), are very important because there is no 100% effective treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of physical activity levels on the subsequent symptoms and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Methods: A total of 321 volunteers participated in the study: 169 women (age = 30.17 ± 9.22) and 152 men (age = 34.47 ± 9.65), who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and received inpatient (n = 23, age = 35.74 ± 9.69) or outpatient (n = 298, age = 31.94 ± 9.61) treatment. Physical activity levels were determined by a Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire and participants were classified into sedentary, low, active, and very active categories. Results: The physical activity level did not have a significant effect on symptom type, hospitalization, and drug use (p > 0.05). We observed that age was significantly higher (p < 0.001), and BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) was lower (p < 0.05) in those treated with medication than those recovered without medication. Body Mass Index (BMI) values of inpatients were significantly higher than those of outpatients. Age was lower, and BMR was higher in symptomless patients than in those whose symptoms were persistent (more than 2 weeks) (p < 0.05). As BMI increases by one unit, the probability of being a hospitalized patient increases 1.13 times (95% CI 1.040–1.228, p < 0.05). As age increases by one unit, the probability of using drugs in the treatment increases 1.06 times (95% CI 1.028–1.088, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Although there was no direct effect of physical activity level on the treatment and symptoms of COVID-19, age, BMR, and BMI variables, which cannot be considered independently of physical activity, have effects on the treatment and symptoms of COVID-19.