Özet:

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on medical education as it affects almost every field. Various restrictions were implemented to prevent the spread of the disease. Face-to-face education rapidly turned into online education. University campuses were evacuated and students were sent to their houses. It is also thought that the process has had an impact on students’ physical activity levels. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical activity level of medical students in the COVID-19 pandemic and online education process. Methods: The descriptive study was performed with third year medical students. Data was collected with an online questionnaire between 07–10 June 2021. Volunteering was the basis for participation in the survey. A short sociodemographic information form, and Turkish version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) were used as data collection tools. Results: 79 students volunteered for the study. The mean age of the students was 21.7 ± 4.1 (18-49) years, and 57% (n=45) of them were female. The average screen time of the students was 6.0 ± 3.4 hours, 49.4% (n=39) of the them were eating much more and 68.4% (n=54) of them were doing less physical activity during the pandemic. Sixteen (20.3%) of the students’ Body Mass Index were over to the average value. During the pandemic period, the average weight of the students was 66.9±14.6 kg, their BMI was 22.4±4.1 kg/m2. Although the current weight of the students increased slightly compared to the pre-pandemic period (66.9±14.6, 66.5 ±13.4 respectively), there was no significant change in body mass index (z=-0.80, p=0.93). The students' activity points were 664.5±1233.7 in high activity, 290.7±405.6 in moderate activity, 702.6±626.9 in walking activity, and 1657.9±1498.9 in total. Forty one (51.8%) of the students were not doing high physical activity, 39% (n=31) were not doing moderate physical activity. There was no significant difference in physical activity levels between male and female students (χ2=3.48, p=0.15). No statistically significant corralation was found between the educational status of the parents and the physical activity levels of the students (χ2=1.06, p=0.90 and χ2=2.02, p=0.73, respectively). Conclusions: Physical activity level of medical students was insufficient during the pandemic time. Public health precautions should be achieved to increase students' physical activity levels, and necessary education, support and opportunities should be provided.

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