The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Physical Therapy Program on Students' Health Outcomes.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected many aspects of everyday life including school, fitness regimens, and social interactions. The purpose of this study is to understand how COVID-19 restrictions affect the cardiovascular and mental health of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students as they progressed through the program. Data collection occurred in 16 DPT students (8F:8M, 24±3 years) over a total of 3 visits from 2020 to 2022, during high, moderate, and low COVID-19 restrictions. Outcome measures included VO2max, Venous Occlusion Plethysmography (VOP), %fat mass measured via DEXA, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). A RM-ANOVA with pairwise comparisons was utilized. Significance was set prior at an α level of 0.05. There was a significant increase (p<0.05) from visit 1 to 2 in VO2max, VOP baseline, BMI, and METs. There was a significant decrease (p<0.05) from visit 2 to 3 in VO2max. Finally, a significant increase in visit 3 was seen from visit 2 in VOP peak. Overall, there was no significant difference observed for PSS and %fat mass (p>0.05). Between high and moderate restrictions, there was an increase in VO2max, VOP baseline, and METs. However, between moderate and low restrictions, only VOP Peak increased. This could be attributed to gyms being closed and limiting the type of physical activity a person could do to exercises like running or walking. When restrictions were lifted, traveling to and from classes, traveling to gyms, and socializing all increased, limiting the time for physical activity.