Patterns of physical activity amidst COVID-19 among medical interns

Introduction and aim. The COVID-19 pandemic restricted our daily lives significantly. This adversely affected the physical activity (PA) and productivity of students, including medical interns, who worked tirelessly during the pandemic. The study aimed to evaluate the changes in PA patterns and associated factors due to the imposed lockdown in medical interns compared to pre-pandemic levels. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among consenting medical interns of the 2020-21 batch in a medical college in Bhubaneswar, selected by convenience sampling. They were contacted by email and briefed about the study. Data on demography, exercise patterns (pre-, during, and post-COVID-19), and associated factors was collected by an electronic survey format (Google form). Data was analyzed using EPI info and interpreted in frequencies, percentages, and the chi-square test. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. Of 104, 54.28% were females. The frequency of exercise reduced by 13.92% during COVID-19. Around 56.9% of interns exercised regularly pre-pandemic which dropped to 33.3% during the pandemic. The change in PA pattern was significantly associated with regularity of exercise (p<0.001). Conclusion. Evaluating the extent of physical inactivity will enable the administration to provide appropriate support to the interns to take equal care of their health as their patients.