Associação entre a prática de atividade física e a gravidade da COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: To verify the association between previous physical activity practice and the severity of COVID-19. Additionally, to identify the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the studied population. Method: Cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted between September 2022 and April 2023, including individuals aged 18 years or older with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 who were discharged from the hospital between September 1, 2021, and September 15, 2022, in Passo Fundo, a city located in southern Brazil. Eligible participants were selected from the list of notified and confirmed cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – Hospitalized, provided by the Municipal Health Department. Data collection was carried out through home visits, using face-to-face interviews and physical tests that evaluated a set of sociodemographic, clinical, and health characteristics. The exposure variable analyzed was previous physical activity, categorized as practitioner/non-practitioner and <150 minutes per week/≥150 minutes per week; the outcome variables were: need for Intensive Care Unit (ICU), use of hospital oxygen, orotracheal intubation, and length of hospital stay. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were performed using the chi-square test, as well as crude and adjusted logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounding factors. Results: Of the 161 participants in the sample, 53.1% were female, 71% self-identified as white, 32.1% were under 60 years of age, 47.5% had education up to elementary school (complete or incomplete), 58% were married/living with a partner, 55.6% were in economic class C-D-E, and 75.3% did not engage in paid employment. Furthermore, 32.1% practiced ≥150 min/week of previous physical activity, 81.3% required oxygen during hospitalization, and 80.1% did not require ICU admission. A statistically significant association was demonstrated between previous physical activity ≥150 min/week and oxygen therapy during hospitalization in adjusted analysis (OR=3.78; 95% CI 1.13-12.6). No association was found for the other outcomes. Conclusions: Based on the findings, it was identified that more physically active participants had a greater need for oxygen use. Considering the scarcity of studies on this topic, and in light of the limitations of the methods used in studies already conducted, further research is needed to confirm this association.