PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG INDONESIA ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Social distancing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic can increase sedentariness and reduce physical activity.  Moreover, physical activity and exercise are coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been associated with positive mental health, such as psychological well-being.  The study aimed to investigate physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on psychological well-being among Indonesian adults.  A self-reported cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 216 adults.  The adult physical activity level was standardized using international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF), and the psychological well-being was assessed using the WHO-5 well-being index (WHO-5).  A coping strategy was divided into two main categories based on respondent answers as problem-focused and emotion-focused coping.  Independent t-tests or chi-square analyses were performed.  According to the research findings, most participants (41.2%) indicated a low level of physical activity.  Notably, the percentage of female adults with low physical activity levels was higher than that of their male counterparts, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001).  Observed the average WHO-5 well-being scores across different levels of physical activity revealed distinct variations.  Individuals engaging in high levels of physical activity had an average score of 78.55 (± 21.29), those with moderate levels of physical activity had a slightly higher average score of 78.68 (± 21.93), and individuals with low levels of physical activity had a notably lower average score of 70.06 (± 20.05).  These differences between the groups were statistically significant (p=0.015).  During the COVID-19 pandemic, adults with moderate and high physical activity level exhibited a higher frequency indoor physical activity behavior was more frequent among adults with moderate and high physical activity levels (p<0.001). Exercise was used as a problem-focused coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic and was found to have been associated with psychological well-being (p<0.001).  Consequently, it is imperative to implement an effective intervention that focuses on physical activity behaviors as a coping during the pandemic, which can also have a significant impact on psychological well-being.