Physical activity as a moderator in anxiety associated to COVID-19 in university students

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the mental health of the university population, so managing alternatives to adapt is essential. Objective.The purpose of the study was to analyze the moderating effect of physical activity (PA) on the anxiety levels generated by the experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in university students. Method. A cross-sectional, correlational-explanatory study was carried out in university students (n = 922; 36.66% men and 63.34% women; 19.97±2.92 years).An ad hoc questionnaire was applied to measure fear to COVID-19, as well as the CUXOS-D for anxiety levels and the IPAQ-s to assess PA. Descriptive, inferential and moderation analyzes were performed, in addition to the exploratory and confirmatory factorial for the CUXOS-D. Results.The influence of fear to COVID-19 on cognitive anxiety levels is observed, which is moderated by high PA levels (F [3,918] = 21.58; p