Comparative Study of the Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Nutritional Practices Among International Elite and Sub-Elite Athletes: A Sample of 1420 Participants from 14 Countries
Taheri, Morteza and Saad, Helmi Ben and Washif, Jad Adrian and Reynoso-Sánchez, Luis Felipe and Mirmoezzi, Masoud and Youzbashi, Leila and Trabelsi, Khaled and Moshtagh, Mozhgan and Muñoz-Helú, Hussein and Mataruna-Dos-Santos, Leonardo Jose and Seghatoleslami, Ali and Torabi, Farnaz and Soylu, Yusuf and Kurt, Cem and Vancini, Rodrigo Luiz and Delkash, Shabnam and Rezaei, Marjan Sadat and Ashouri, Mahdi and Tahira, Shazia and Sayyah, Mansour and Chtourou, Hamdi and Dergaa, Ismail and Strahler, Jana and Guimarães-Mataruna, Andressa Fontes and Lebaron, Tyler W. and Ezdini, Ebrahim Shaabani and Alizade, Ardeshir and Zouhal, Hassane and Tarnava, Alexander T. and Clark, Cain and Bigdeli, Nooshin and Ammar, Achraf and Eken, Özgür and Ayed, Karim Ben and Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi and Nobari, Hadi and Thuany, Mabliny and Weiss, Katja and Knechtle, Beat and Irandoust, Khadijeh (2023) Comparative Study of the Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Nutritional Practices Among International Elite and Sub-Elite Athletes: A Sample of 1420 Participants from 14 Countries. Sports Medicine - Open, 9 (1). p. 104. ISSN 2198-9761
|
Text
s40798-023-00653-w.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) |
Abstract
Background
Although several studies have shown that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown has had negative impacts on mental health and eating behaviors among the general population and athletes, few studies have examined the long-term effects on elite and sub-elite athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the long-term impact of COVID-19 lockdown on mental health and eating behaviors in elite versus sub-elite athletes two years into the pandemic. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted between March and April 2022, involving athletes from 14 countries, using a convenient non-probabilistic and snowball sampling method. A total of 1420 athletes (24.5 ± 7.9 years old, 569 elites, 35% women, and 851 sub-elites, 45% women) completed an online survey-based questionnaire. The questionnaire included a sociodemographic survey, information about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale—21 Items (DASS-21) for mental health assessment, and the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants (REAP-S) for assessing eating behavior.
Results
The results showed that compared to sub-elite athletes, elite athletes had lower scores on the DASS-21 (p = .001) and its subscales of depression (p = .003), anxiety (p = .007), and stress (p < .001), as well as a lower REAP-S score indicating lower diet quality (p = .013).
Conclusion
In conclusion, two years into the pandemic, elite athletes were likelier to have better mental health profiles than sub-elite athletes but surprisingly had lower diet quality.
Key Points
Elite athletes had better mental health profiles compared to sub-elite athletes, with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Elite athletes reported greater psychological support and perceived themselves as more financially secure during the pandemic than sub-elite athletes do.
Elite athletes were more likely to have poor eating habits compared to sub-elite athletes.
| Item Type: | Article | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00653-w | ||||||
| Dates: |
|
||||||
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Performance, Athlete, Nutrition, Infectious disease, Health | ||||||
| Subjects: | CAH03 - biological and sport sciences > CAH03-02 - sport and exercise sciences > CAH03-02-01 - sport and exercise sciences | ||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > School of Health Sciences > Dept. Life Sciences | ||||||
| Depositing User: | Gemma Tonks | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 28 Nov 2023 14:53 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 28 Nov 2023 14:53 | ||||||
| URI: | https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/15021 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
Tools
Tools