Physical and psychological deconditioning of overweight middle-aged women caused by Covid-19

Abstract

The study was aimed at identifying the structure of relationships between the psychological and morphological state of overweight and obese women under conditions of quarantine restrictions related to COVID-19 pandemic. The following methods were used: anthropometric, to determine the body measurements; bioimpedance analysis, to assess the body composition; physiological, to study the cardiovascular and respiratory systems; psychological, to examine the psycho-emotional sphere; statistical analysis, to objectify the obtained results. The article presents a comparative analysis of the morpho-functional and psychological state of women aged 35-42 years over the seven months of quarantine restrictions caused by the spread of COVID-19. Analysis of the data revealed significant negative changes in the indicators of physique and psychological state of women over this period. In women, body weight increased on average by 10.2% (p<0.05), and waist and abdomen circumferences increased by 9.9% (p<0.05) and 12.5% (p<0.05), respectively. A lack of regular physical activity was one of the factors increasing the fat mass by 22.7% (p<0.05) and decreasing the muscle mass by 23.9% (p<0.05). In women, the zest for life decreased by 37.0% (p<0.05) and the congruence between desired and achieved goals decreased by 64.6% (p<0.05). The overall psychological state of women deteriorated by 39.4% (p<0.05) and began to indicate a high level of emotional stress, low emotional stability, high level of anxiety, and psychological discomfort. Correlation analysis revealed high negative correlations between psychological and morphological indicators, which ranged from r=-0.321 (at p<0.05) to r=-0.683 (at p<0.001). The findings of this study suggest that a sedentary lifestyle and low level of physical activity over the quarantine restrictions period had a negative impact on the morpho-functional state and quality of life of women. The fear of COVID-19 infection caused women to become depressed and anxious; whereas uncertainty about the future threatened the mental state of the subjects.