The Relationship between Physical Activity and Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Female and Male Physical Education Teachers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the physical education teachers' leisure-time physical activity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact level of the COVID-19 pandemic on their quality of life. A total of 155 physical education teachers, with an average age of 42.39, participated in the research. To collect data, the Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire and the COVID-19 Impact on Quality of Life Scale were used in the study. The results obtained in the research showed that the mean score of COVID19 impact on teachers' quality of life is 3.30 (minimum 1; maximum 5). This score on the scale showed that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the quality of life of teachers, above the average. The research findings showed that there was statistically no significant difference between the leisure-time physical activity levels of male and female physical education teachers and the level of impact of COVID-19 on teachers' quality of life. It was also found that there was a negative significant relationship between teachers' leisure-time physical activity level during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact level of COVID19 on the teachers' quality of life and that as the teachers' leisure-time physical activity level increases, the negative impact of COVID-19 on their quality of life decreases. As a result, in this study, the associated role of physical activity in reducing the effects of factors that negatively affect the quality of life of individuals, including the COVID-19 pandemic, was revealed.