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Open Access A Structural Analysis of the Effects on the Lifestyle and Health Status of Exercise Class Participants Owing to COVID-19 Prevention Measures

This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND licence.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to clarify and measure the interrelationships among decrease in communication, exercise, and physical and mental health under COVID-19 prevention measures, restricting individuals from going out of the house. Methods: Participants included 540 middle-aged and older adults who are regular exercise class members. The survey was conducted between April 15 and May 10, 2020. For the self- administered questionnaire survey, a municipal employee of City A and an exercise instructor visited the home of each participant to collect the survey data. The survey items were sex, age, limitation of going out, feeling of inactivity, interaction with others, health status, and forgetfulness; a covariance structural analysis was performed to clarify the interrelationship between lifestyle and health status. Results: Restrictions on going out due to the COVID-19 prevention measures were associated with the physical and mental health of middle-aged and older adults who regularly attended exercise classes because they enforced inactivity and decreased the frequency of conversation. Conclusions: Several waves of COVID-19 may arrive in Japan in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to implement measures to prevent secondary health damage and not focus only on infection prevention.

Keywords: COVID-19; FEELING OF LACK OF EXERCISE; HEALTH STATUS; INTERACTION WITH OTHERS

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan 2: R& D Center for Smart Wellness City Policies, University of Tsukuba, Bunkyo, Japan 3: Tsukuba Wellness Research Co, Ltd, Kashiwa, Japan 4: R& D Center for Smart Wellness City Policies, University of Tsukuba, Bunkyo, Japan;, Email: [email protected]

Publication date: February 1, 2023

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  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

    The Journal aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.

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