Body composition and physical activity of university students during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Yuko Imai, Akira Kubo
PMID 37266359WHAT IT FOUND
During COVID-19 restrictions, university students with a higher fat-free mass index also had higher measured activity and walking.
The index related to step count only in males, and to daily living activity only in females. The study cannot show cause.
Key findings
01Fat-free mass index was positively related to total physical activity and walking in both male and female university students.
02Fat-free mass index was related to step count only in males and to daily living activity only in females.
03Males averaged 7,559.7 ± 2,476.2 steps/day and females averaged 6,940.0 ± 2,932.4 steps/day.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study did not measure physical activity before and after the pandemic, so it cannot show what changed during lockdown. Participants were volunteers from one university, and the sample was 52 students. The paper analysed correlations at one period, so it cannot show that activity caused fat-free mass index to increase.
Declared interests
This study was funded by a 2019 Kanagawa Physical Therapy Association research grant. The authors report no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that walking or step count caused higher fat-free mass. The study measured body composition and activity only during the lockdown period and did not compare them before and after the pandemic, so cause and effect cannot be separated.