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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1483153
This article is part of the Research Topic Exercising body & brain: the effects of physical exercise on brain health View all articles

Physical Activity and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tanzania: Insights for Public Health Policy in Low-Income Contexts

Provisionally accepted
Joyce Sifa Ndabi Joyce Sifa Ndabi 1Alfa Simwanza Alfa Simwanza 1JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji 2,3Dawn Tladi Dawn Tladi 4Rosemary Muomah Rosemary Muomah 5Sampson Kelechi Nwonyi PhD Sampson Kelechi Nwonyi PhD 6Doris Akosua Tay Doris Akosua Tay 7Dale Joachim Dale Joachim 8Leapetswe Malete Leapetswe Malete 9Clement Adamba Clement Adamba 10Vida Korleki Nyawornota Vida Korleki Nyawornota 11Oscar Cornelius Nyanyo Nyanyofio Oscar Cornelius Nyanyo Nyanyofio 11Samuel Kofi Donkor Samuel Kofi Donkor 11Batuuroh Soori Batuuroh Soori 12Reginald Tetteh-Ahumah Ocansey Reginald Tetteh-Ahumah Ocansey 11,13*
  • 1 Department of physical education and sports sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • 2 Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria
  • 3 College of Sciences and the Health Professions, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
  • 4 Department of Sport Science, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
  • 5 Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsuka, Nigeria
  • 6 Department of Psychology and Sociological Studies, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria
  • 7 Regional Institute of Population Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
  • 8 Speech Science, Sonde Health, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • 9 Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
  • 10 Department of Education and Leadership Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
  • 11 Department of Physical Education and Sport Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
  • 12 Department of Mental Health Services, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, United Kingdom
  • 13 Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Sports, University of Education, Winneba, Winneba, Ghana

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: This study is part of a collaborative project among institutions in Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, and Botswana. Michigan State University and Sonde Health are co-collaborators providing support for the SurveyLex web-based platform and a server for data storage and security. This study examines the relationship between physical activity (PA) and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania, with a particular focus on health status as a potential moderator. Methods: A sample of 213 Tanzanian adults (mean age = 28.06 years, 54% male) was recruited through community outreach and online surveys. Participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to screen for depression and its severity. Results: Results indicate that while vigorous and moderate PA were associated with reduced anxiety, health status did not significantly moderate the PA-anxiety relationship. Conclusion: Findings underscore the mental health benefits of vigorous and moderate PA, emphasizing the need for accessible PA interventions to support mental well-being in low-resource settings like Tanzania. The findings also suggest that the mental health benefits of PA in reducing anxiety apply broadly across different health statuses. Keywords: Tanzania, physical activity, anxiety, COVID-19 pandemic, health status

    Keywords: Tanzania, physical activity, Anxiety, COVID-19 pandemic, Health Status

    Received: 19 Aug 2024; Accepted: 22 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ndabi, Simwanza, Chukwuorji, Tladi, Muomah, Nwonyi PhD, Tay, Joachim, Malete, Adamba, Nyawornota, Nyanyofio, Donkor, Soori and Ocansey. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Reginald Tetteh-Ahumah Ocansey, Department of Physical Education and Sport Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.