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Relationships among behavioural regulations, physical activity, and mental health pre- and during COVID-19 UK lockdown.

ABSTRACT: A nationwide survey was conducted during the first UK lockdown to further understanding of the degree to which motives for exercise were associated with physical activity (PA) behaviours and, in turn, how PA behaviours were associated with mental health. A cross-sectional design was employed and data were collected by use of a one-off online survey (N = 392; 18-85 years; M _BMI = 25.48; SD _BMI = 5.05; 314 women). Exercise motives, PA, and mental health were measured by use of the Behavioural Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire-3, Brunel Lifestyle Physical Activity Questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire-12, respectively. Participants were also asked to specify their average step count per day, if they used a mobile device for this purpose (n = 190). Analyses comprised hierarchical regressions and partial correlations. Results indicated that behavioural regulations were more strongly associated with planned PA pre-lockdown, compared to during lockdown. There were no differences observed in explained variance between pre- and during lockdown for unplanned PA and steps per day. Planned and unplanned PA were significant explanatory variables for mental health both pre- and during lockdown, but sedentary behaviour was not. Partial correlations, with BMI and age partialled out, showed that steps per day were not correlated with mental health either pre- or during lockdown. The range of variables used to explain planned and unplanned PA and mental health suggest that people's motives to exercise were tempered by lockdown. For those who routinely measured their steps per day, the step count was unrelated to their mental health scores both pre- and during lockdown. It appears that engagement in regular PA confers some minor benefits for mental health.

SUBMITTER: Bird JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8425532 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe Covid-19 pandemic raises questions about the role that relationships and interactions between humans and animals play in the context of widespread social distancing and isolation measures. We aimed to investigate links between mental health and loneliness, companion animal ownership, the human-animal bond, and human-animal interactions; and to explore animal owners' perceptions related to the role of their animals during lockdown.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey of UK residents over 18 years of age was conducted between April and June 2020. The questionnaire included validated and bespoke items measuring demographics; exposures and outcomes related to mental health, wellbeing and loneliness; the human-animal bond and human-animal interactions.ResultsOf 5,926 participants, 5,323 (89.8%) had at least one companion animal. Most perceived their animals to be a source of considerable support, but concerns were reported related to various practical aspects of providing care during lockdown. Strength of the human-animal bond did not differ significantly between species. Poorer mental health pre-lockdown was associated with a stronger reported human-animal bond (b = -.014, 95% CI [-.023 - -.005], p = .002). Animal ownership compared with non-ownership was associated with smaller decreases in mental health (b = .267, 95% CI [.079 - .455], p = .005) and smaller increases in loneliness (b = -.302, 95% CI [-.461 - -.144], p = .001) since lockdown.ConclusionThe human-animal bond is a construct that may be linked to mental health vulnerability in animal owners. Strength of the human-animal bond in terms of emotional closeness or intimacy dimensions appears to be independent of animal species. Animal ownership seemed to mitigate some of the detrimental psychological effects of Covid-19 lockdown. Further targeted investigation of the role of human-animal relationships and interactions for human health, including testing of the social buffering hypothesis and the development of instruments suited for use across animal species, is required.

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Relationships among behavioural regulations, physical activity, and mental health pre- and during COVID-19 UK lockdown.

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