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The Impact of COVID-19 on High School Student-Athlete Experiences with Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Social Connection Shepherd, Heather A.; Evans, Taffin; Gupta, Srijal; McDonough, Meghan H.; Doyle-Baker, Patricia; Belton, Kathy L.; Karmali, Shazya; Pawer, Samantha; Hadly, Gabrielle; Pike, Ian, 1958-; et al.

Abstract

COVID-19 restrictions led to reduced levels of physical activity, increased screen usage, and declines in mental health in youth; however, in-depth understandings of the experiences of high school student-athletes have yet to be explored. To describe the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic on student-athletes’ physical activity, social connection, and mental health, 20 high school student-athletes living in Calgary, Alberta participated in semi-structured interviews, designed using phenomenography. Participants reported variations in physical activity, social connections, and mental health which were influenced by stay-at-home restrictions and weather. Access to resources, changes to routines, online classes, and social support all influenced engagement in physical activity. School and sports provided opportunities for in-person social connections, impacted by the onset of the pandemic. Participants reported their mental health was influenced by social connections, online classes, and physical activity. Findings from this study will inform the development of resources for high school student-athletes amidst COVID-19.

Item Metadata

Title
The Impact of COVID-19 on High School Student-Athlete Experiences with Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Social Connection
Creator
Shepherd, Heather A.; Evans, Taffin; Gupta, Srijal; McDonough, Meghan H.; Doyle-Baker, Patricia; Belton, Kathy L.; Karmali, Shazya; Pawer, Samantha; Hadly, Gabrielle; Pike, Ian, 1958-; Adams, Stephanie A.; Babul, Shelina; Yeates, Keith Owen; Kopala-Sibley, Daniel C.; Schneider, Kathryn J.; Cowle, Stephanie; Fuselli, Pamela; Emery, Carolyn A.; Black, Amanda M.
Contributor
B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit; Children's Hospital (Vancouver, B.C.)
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2021-03-29
Description
COVID-19 restrictions led to reduced levels of physical activity, increased screen usage, and declines in mental health in youth; however, in-depth understandings of the experiences of high school student-athletes have yet to be explored. To describe the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic on student-athletes’ physical activity, social connection, and mental health, 20 high school student-athletes living in Calgary, Alberta participated in semi-structured interviews, designed using phenomenography. Participants reported variations in physical activity, social connections, and mental health which were influenced by stay-at-home restrictions and weather. Access to resources, changes to routines, online classes, and social support all influenced engagement in physical activity. School and sports provided opportunities for in-person social connections, impacted by the onset of the pandemic. Participants reported their mental health was influenced by social connections, online classes, and physical activity. Findings from this study will inform the development of resources for high school student-athletes amidst COVID-19.
Subject
physical activity; mental health; social connection; youth-athletes; COVID-19; pandemic
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2021-05-07
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0397328
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/78200
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Alumni; Non UBC; Pediatrics, Department of
Citation
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (7): 3515 (2021)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/ijerph18073515
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Rights

CC BY 4.0