Effects of Physical Activity on College Students’ Subjective Well-Being During COVID-19

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has caused widespread psychological distress to Chinese college students. To explore the beneficial psychological effects of physical activity, this study accessed the relationship of Physical Activity (PA) and Subjective Well-being (SWB) among Chinese college students during the pandemic. METHODS: A total of 1198 college students (aged between 17 and 40) from 8 universities in Wuhan, China, volunteered to finish the online questionnaire survey from February 17 to 20, 2020. General Well-Being Schedule (GWBS) was used to evaluate SWB, and Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3) was used to measure PA. The Mann–Whitney U test, χ(2) test, t test, and analysis of variance were used to compare the differences between groups based on different data types. A multi-factor linear regression analysis was performed on the factors affecting college students' participation in physical activity during the pandemic. Differences were considered statistically significant when p < .05. RESULTS: It found that: (1) The quality of physical activity during COVID-19 significantly and positively predicted subjective well-being (B = 2.512, p < .001), indicating that physical activity can effectively alleviate adverse mental health effects caused by the pandemic. (2) The pandemic has had a greater impact on the mental health of specific groups (such as seniors and rural college students). Supporting and encouraging them to participate in a certain level of sports activities can improve their subjective well-being, which is helpful for countering the pandemic’s adverse effects. (3) People should be encouraged to participate in sports at moderate or high levels. CONCLUSION: PA can effectively alleviate the negative psychological impact of the pandemic. In general, during major public health emergencies, people should be supported and encouraged to regularly participate in physical activities at moderate or higher levels, to improve their subjective well-being, and maintain positive anti-pandemic attitudes and behavior.