Physical Exercises Need To Be Incorporated In People’s Lives In A Meaningful Way
A survey carried out by the Faculty of Public Health (FSP) of the University of São Paulo evaluates how people dealt with the practice of physical activities during the period of restrictive measures of the covid-19 pandemic. Initially, the project was not intended to assess physical activity during this time, however, as the pandemic progressed, adaptations were made to assess the health of the population based on this scenario.
When explaining the methodology used for the project, Alessandra Xavier Bueno, PhD in Public Health from the Faculty of Public Health at USP, comments that she had to adapt to the different perspectives that became common during this period in order to complete the research.
Results
The expert comments that issues related to work and mental health were some of the topics that most appeared during the interviews, even though this was not the main focus of the research. Alessandra explains that this happened because people had to modify their jobs very quickly and did not have the time necessary to carry out an adaptation, “many of these people were unable to carry out this work at home, for reasons of routine, family, children at home, among others”, he adds.
In addition to troubled relationships with their jobs, people constantly mentioned issues involving their mental health. The researcher also comments on the role of physical activities at this time, thus, most people who responded to the survey revealed that they used to perform physical activities and that, during the pandemic, they left body movement a little aside. Thus, it was difficult to maintain a practical routine of regular physical exercises during the health emergency.
It is also noted that many issues that were raised about mental health during the pandemic were directly associated with abandoning or starting physical activities.
Change
Alessandra also reinforces that the continuous practice of exercises is directly related to the individual’s body history. Furthermore, it is interesting to think of the practice of physical activities as a public policy, thus associating these exercises with meanings for the lives of individuals.
She also reinforces that it is necessary to think about ways to provide physical activity indoors so that, should any scenario similar to the pandemic reappear, public institutions can act more incisively in encouraging regular exercise. “Nobody has any doubt that physical activity is good for you, it would be great if everyone could have an exercise routine”, says Alessandra. To promote this, people need to have access to public facilities that allow these activities to be carried out more widely.