(ANSA) - PISA, 11 MAR - If during last year's lockdown people had been able to maintain the same levels of motor activity, up to 21% of severe cases of anxiety or depression could have been avoided.
It is the most relevant result of the 'Io conto 2020' survey conducted among students and employees of the universities of Pisa, Florence, Turin, Genoa and Messina, published in the scientific journal Plos One.
The study, explains a note, coordinated by the University of Pisa, made it possible to collect information relating to the lifestyle of the university population during the lockdown between April and May 2020 through an online survey in which 18,120 students, professors and technical-administrative personnel of the universities participated. participants.
The result published in Plos One concerns the analysis of the data relating to the psychological distress of the participants, which showed that high levels of anxiety or depression were present more frequently among students, among participants with low income and among those who, during the lockdown, interrupted. the practice of physical activity.
Compared to those who have always been inactive, those who managed to practice physical activity continuously during the lockdown had a 20% reduced risk of suffering from anxiety and expression, while those who stopped practicing physical exercise had a 50% higher risk. .
The authors of the work have precisely estimated that, if the same levels of physical activity could be maintained during the lockdown, up to 21% of severe cases of anxiety or depression could have been avoided.
(HANDLE).