PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Keywords:
COVID 19, health prevention, reduced physical activity, mental healthAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a health and economic crisis and changes in the working conditions
of higher education workers. Difficulties arose in the organization of the educational process, which affected the
physical and mental health of teachers.
As part of a project entitled "Multidisciplinary approach for prevention of health of MU-Varna employees in the
conditions of the pandemic of COVID-19" under the Science Fund of Medical University Varna, we studied the
mental health and assessed the physical activity of employees in order to make recommendations for prevention and
prophylaxis.
The subject of the study were all persons working at MU- Varna. Individual questionnaires and standardized
questionnaires specific for each activity were used. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric hypothesis testing tests,
correlation analysis, etc. were applied.
The majority of respondents (63.9%, n=85) used a computer for more than six hours five days a week during the
workday. 39.8% (n=53) exercised two to three times a week, among whom women were more active. A similar
proportion of 39.1% (n=52) do not exercise. When comparing the level of the "nervous tension" indicator before
(38.7%) and after the pandemic (55.6%), an increase was found. Moderately depressed before the crisis 9.1% of the
participants defined themselves, and during the crisis this percentage increased to 16.4%, adding here 8.5% who
scored the highest grade 4.
Analyses of the results reflect that the pandemic and the blocking measures caused stress, anxiety, social isolation,
psychological distress and severely limited physical activity. Detailed analysis of these strategies contributes to
establishing the utility of physical activity in maintaining psychological well-being during this extraordinary and
psychologically damaging period of our lives.
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