Exercise’s uplifting role in pandemic

EXERCISE could be one of the most important ways of dodging depression during the pandemic, scientists have found.

Young people who stopped working out after Covid-19 turned the world upside down are more likely to suffer from mental health problems, according to a study.

Depression rates among people aged 18 to 24 have increased 90 per cent against pre-pandemic levels – twice that of the general population.

What changes brought on by the pandemic have been most damaging has remained a mystery.

Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego have found physical activity is a “leading factor”.

But getting back on the exercise train for just a couple of weeks is not enough, the researchers say.

Co-author associate professor Sally Sadoff said: “Our results clearly show that those who maintained physical exercise throughout the pandemic were the most resilient and least likely to suffer from depression.”

Frequent exercise is a well known form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) used to treat people with depression.

Hundreds of American college students were enrolled in the study between February 2019 and July 2020. They were asked to complete a series of surveys about their wellbeing and how they chose to fill their time.

From March to July last year, depression rates rose from 32% to 61%.

Rates of depression among students whose daily workout was cut rose by 15% to 18%.

In contrast, those who managed to maintain their daily exercise routine faced the lowest risk of depression.

Co-author assistant professor Osea Giuntella, at the University of Pittsburgh, said: “Physical activity may have important interactions with other lifestyle behaviours such as social interactions.”