Association between Sleep Quality and Physical Activity in Physical Education Students in Chile in the Pandemic Context: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Due to the health restrictions put in place to face the pandemic, a decrease in the levels of physical activity and an alteration in the quality of sleep have been observed. One group susceptible to these changes is represented by students of physical education pedagogy, who, under normal conditions, present high levels of physical activity. However, the correlation between these variables has not been studied in the context of a pandemic lockdown. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the quality of sleep and physical activity level as a function of gender and evaluate the association between quality of sleep and physical activity level in physical education pedagogy students during the COVID-19 pandemic considering sociodemographic and health characteristics. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire was applied to 280 Chilean university students of physical education pedagogy. The survey considered sociodemographic information, healthy habits, and self-reported health and included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for physical activity levels and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. Results: The prevalence of good sleep quality was 20.4%. Furthermore, 52.9% of students had a high level of physical activity. Regression analysis between PSQI global score and age-adjusted physical activity levels indicated that being male and presenting a high level of physical activity favored a better PSQI global score. Conclusions: The prevalence of good sleep quality was low in general and significantly lower in women. Being male and having a high level of physical activity during quarantine benefits good sleep quality, regardless of age.