Impact of exercise frequency on mental distress in women and men during COVID-19

Editor's Note

This study from Binghampton University, State University of New York, finds that physical exercise frequency affected the mental health of women and men differently at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers analyzed survey data from 2,370 men (31.54%) and women (68.46%).

Among their findings:

• During the pandemic, a period with high levels of stress, women who increased their exercise frequency had more mental distress, while men required more frequent exercise to improve their mental health.
• Men’s mental health was more disturbed by the pandemic during weekends, whereas, women’s mental health tended to deteriorate on weekdays, probably because of the need to balance responsibilities as a mother with homeschooling and work.
• The total absence of exercise was associated with mental distress in both men and women, and when COVID-19 restrictions were eased, increasing exercise frequency improved mental well-being.

The findings show that customization of physical exercise frequency by gender, time of week, and stage of pandemic was needed to optimize mental health, the authors say.