The project is aimed at students from the sixteen universities in the Exernet Physical Exercise and Health Network

The Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress Research Group (NUCOX) at the University of the Balearic Islands, comprising CIBEROBN and IDISBA, is taking part in a consortium of sixteen universities to run an analysis projects on changes in physical activity amongst university students during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It also plans to study the underlying factors in the changes to habits and modifications in health and life quality parameters in this situation.

NUCOX will run the project through an online survey of 500,000 students at the universities in the Exernet Physical Exercise and Health Network, including the UIB.

The study represents unique international research due to the characteristics and situation of university students during this uncertain time, and the lockdown conditions in Spain, which have been stricter than in most countries around the world in terms of allowing physical activity. The study results will enable strategies to be designed so that students can restart their physical activity habits after lockdown and measures be adopted for possible similar future scenarios.

The project will run in three stages: the first will focus on the lockdown and compare physical activity from before and during the stay-at-home period; the second and third phases will, in turn, look at the first month and first six months after the lockdown has been lifted. The results from the first stage are expected to be available before summer and will enable strategies to be put forward to reverse any possible damaging impact and maintain any beneficial habits that may have come out of the lockdown period.

The Exernet Physical Exercise and Health Network comprises Spanish research groups into physical activity and health, and aims to coordinate, align and release research into specific population groups. The network includes the following sixteen higher education institutions: University of the Basque Country; University of Cadiz; University of Cantabria; University of Castile-La Mancha; University of Extremadura; University of Granada; University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; University of León; University of the Balearic Islands; University of Seville; University of Valencia; University of Zaragoza; Jaume I University; Miguel Hernández University and the Polytechnic University of Madrid.

Publication date: Fri Apr 24 09:56:00 CEST 2020