Essay: Issues and Challenges on Students’; Well-being during COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Impact of Excessive Screen Time and Physical Inactivity

This part presented related readings and studies on topics associated with the research problem. The topics presented below discuss facts to explore the self-care activities of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Issues and Challenges on Students’ Well-being during COVID-19 Pandemic
• Physical
Students nowadays are confined to their homes and are exposed to excessive screen time. During the COVID-19 epidemic, Akulwar-Tahane et al. (2020) conducted a study on a representative sample of 150 physiotherapy students using a self-reported questionnaire to examine their technology use, sleep patterns, mental and physical health. The findings found that 52% of students stated that excessive screen time has an impact on their sleep quality and have linked it to sleeping issues such as shorter sleep durations and cell phone use-awakenings. Furthermore, 48% of students believe that too much time spent in front of the screen has an impact on their physical well-being.
On the other hand, Barkley et al. (2020) began on looking and comparing the differences in physical activity before and after COVID-19 pandemic of university students and employees. The result of the study indicates initial evidence of a significant reduce in physical activities in undergraduate university students. Among the sample group, decreased total physical activity and increased sedentary behavior are found on participants who were most physically active.
Bas et al. (2020) indicated that there is inactivity among a large percentage of individuals due to the following closure of various sports and recreational facilities as they are not able to actively participate and practice either individual or group sports. Many became less physically active, obtain unhealthy diet because of limitations in food options and services and even developed sedentary behavior due to the loss of access to these facilities.
Savage et al. (2020) in their study assessed the mental health, movement behavior, and the relationship between the two among 214 university students in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic through an online self-report survey which was conducted twice before and during the lockdown. Their mental well-being, perceived stress, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors were examined at each point in time. The results of the study in terms of movement behavior changes revealed that there is a decrease in the level of physical activity among students from moderate to vigorous during the first five weeks of lockdown. An increase in sedentary behavior was also revealed throughout the study.
Oliver et al. (2021) in their study titled “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US College Students’ Physical Activity and Mental Health” examined the possible impact of the pandemic on physical activity, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms of college students. Data were collected at a large Northeastern university through an online survey that assessed demographics, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms of students from the beginning to the end of the spring semester. There were 1019 participants in the study which mainly were women and non-Hispanic white. The results of the study exhibited a significant decline in physical activity under COVID-19 circumstances.
During the time of the COVID-19 lockdown, Dragun et al. (2021) in their study titled “Have Lifestyle Habits and Psychological Well-Being Changed Among Adolescents and Medical Students Due to COVID-19 Lockdown in Croatia?” looked into the sleep, eating habits, and psychological well-being of medical and adolescent students in Split, Croatia through a survey from 2018-2019. The data collected from 1326 students were compared with 531 students registered in May 2022. According to the results of the study, a third of the students reported a loss in weight while 19% claimed weight increase students during the lockdown. Furthermore, physical activity remained consistent.
Gestsdottir et al. (2021), during and before the covid-19 pandemic, in their study titled “assessed and compared the physical and mental health of male and female first-year university students. Questions about physical and mental health were answered by 115 university students consisting of 54% males who are first-year. The results of the study indicated that 69% of males compared to 38% of females believed their physical health has deteriorated since the pandemic began. Moreover, it was estimated that sedentary behaviors had escalated to over 70% of both genders since the start of the pandemic while a high percentage of males (76%), as opposed to females (56%), evaluated they were less physically active than before covid-19.
Kohls et al. (2021) on their study titled “Mental Health, Social and Emotional Well-Being, and Perceived Burdens of University Students During COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Germany’’ aimed to examine the mental health, social and emotional well-being as well as perceived burdens of university students in Germany during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It utilized a cross-sectional method through an anonymous online survey among university students which assessed their mental health status, perceived burdens and attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic as well as social and emotional aspects of pandemic with standardized measures. The participants of the study consisted a total of 3,382 German university students. The results of the study indicated higher dangerous alcohol use and higher levels of eating disorders.
Related to this, Aguilar & Torres (2021) conducted a study in one of the leading institutions in the Philippines which aim to solicit 80 undergraduate students’ perceptions about the compulsory change from a blended to fully online learning modality amidst the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The study utilized a descriptive research design involving online surveys which consist of a Likert scale and open-ended questions evaluating one’s capacity for online learning challenges, as well as the suggested recommendations for improving the overall experience in online classes. The findings under individual readiness reveal that fatigue and eye strain are experienced by most of the students due to a sudden increase in screen time when using mobile phones, tablets, computers, and laptops.