Effects of physical activity and exercise on well-being in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was discovered in China and characterized by the World Health Organization as a pandemic in March 2020. Many countries worldwide implemented stringent social isolation as a strategy to contain virus transmission. However, the same physical distancing that protects against the spread of COVID-19 may negatively impact mental health and well-being of the population. The present study sought to shed light on this phenomenon by assessing the relationship between physical activity and subjective well-being (SWB) among individuals who were subjected to social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in Brazil between March 31 and April 2, 2020. All of the volunteers agreed to participate by digitally checking the option of agreement after reading consent terms. The inclusion criteria were participants who had been in social isolation for at least 1 week and agreed to the consent terms. Three instruments were applied. A questionnaire was constructed for this study that assessed the participants’ exercise routines. The Psychosocial Aspects, Well-being, and Exercise in Confinement (PAWEC) scale was created by researchers of this study that assessed the relationship between well-being and physical activity during social isolation. The Brazilian Portuguese-adapted version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was also used. A total of 592 participants (371 female, 220 male, 1 transgender), 14–74 years old (M = 32.39 years, SD = 10.5 years), reported being in social isolation for an average of 14.4 days (SD = 3.3 days). Well-being that was related to the practice of physical activity during quarantine was linked to an established routine of physical activity before the social isolation period. Participants who already practiced physical exercises previously and reported continuing the practice during the quarantine period had higher positive affect scores. Participants who engaged in physical activity without direct guidance only during the quarantine period had higher negative affect scores. Participants who already practiced physical activity felt more motivated to continue practicing physical activity during the social isolation period, resulting in positive affect, unlike participants who began exercising only during quarantine. Our results suggest that negative affect can occur among individuals who only just begin exercising during social isolation, indicating that physical activity should be habitual and not only occur during periods of social isolation. Engaging in exercise only during social isolation may contribute to an increase in malaise.