Understanding of strategies to support individuals recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. ‘Long COVID’ is a multisystem disease characterised by a range of respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal symptoms extending beyond 12 weeks. The aim of this study was to explore individuals’ experiences of recovering from COVID-19 to provide a better understanding of the acute and long-term impact of the disease on physical activity (PA). Individualised semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 adults recovering from COVID-19 at 6–11 months post-infection. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used, reaching saturation at 14 interviews (10 female; 47 ± 7 years). Four overarching themes were identified: (i) Living with COVID-19, including managing activities of daily living; (ii) Dealing with the Unknown and self-management strategies; (iii) Re-introducing physical activity; and (iv) Challenges of returning to work. The return to PA, whether through activities of daily living, work or exercise, is often associated with the exacerbation of symptoms, presenting a range of challenges for individuals recovering from COVID-19. Individually tailored support is therefore required to address the unique challenges posed by COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced school closures, resulting in home schooling, more time spent at home and fewer opportunities for physical activity (PA). This study explored factors influencing PA and sedentary behaviours (SB) within the home environment during the first lockdown, starting in March 2020. Twenty semi-structured interviews (20 parents and 23 children, 12 years ± 1.25) were conducted. Data were coded using thematic analysis on NVivo© and concepts from McLeroy’s socioecological model for health promotion were used to analyse the data. Findings indicate that children’s PA and SB at home were influenced by: (i) individual-level factors (e.g., gender, competence, attitudes and motivation); (ii) interpersonal-level factors (e.g., siblings, parents, pets, friends and coaches); (iii) organisation-level factors (e.g., school, clubs and societies), (iv) community-level factors (e.g., home and local environment, access to facilities, social norms, time constraints and home equipment), and (v) policy-level factors (e.g., lockdown restrictions). Stay-at-home mandates resulted in perceived reductions in PA and increases in SB within the home; however, this provided alternative positive opportunities for families, including more time to spend together and exploring green and blue spaces in the local area.

This study examined the effect of anti-fat attitude counter-conditioning using positive images of obese individuals participants completed implicit and explicit measures of attitudes towards fatness on three occasions: no intervention; following exposure to positive images of obese members of the general public; and to images of obese celebrities. Contrary to expectations, positive images of obese individuals did not result in more positive attitudes towards fatness as expected and, in some cases, indices of these attitudes worsened. Results suggest that attitudes towards obesity and fatness may be somewhat robust and resistant to change, possibly suggesting a central and not peripheral processing route for their formation.

Post COVID-19 condition can occur following infection with SARS-CoV-2 and is characterised by persistent symptoms, including fatigue, breathlessness and cognitive dysfunction, impacting everyday functioning. This study explored how people living with post COVID-19 experienced an eight-week inspiratory muscle training (IMT) rehabilitation programme. Individualised semi-structured interviews with 33 adults (29 female; 49 ± 10 years; 6–11 months post-infection) explored expectations of IMT prior to the intervention, and post intervention interviews explored perceptions of IMT and its impact on recovery. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. IMT helped many to feel proactive in managing their symptoms and was associated with perceived improvements in respiratory symptoms, exercise and work capacity, and daily functioning. IMT was well perceived and offers significant potential for use as part of a holistic recovery programme, although it is important to consider the complex, varied symptoms of post COVID-19, necessitating an individually tailored rehabilitation approach.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: The UK government recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day. Despite associated physiological and psychosocial benefits of physical activity (PA), many youth fail to meet these guidelines due partly to technology-based activities displacing active behaviours. However, technological advances such as 3D printing have enabled innovative methods of visualising and conceptualising PA as a tangible output. Objective: The purpose of the formative study was to elicit children’s, adolescent’s, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions and understanding of 3D PA objects to inform the design of future 3D models of PA. Methods: Twenty-eight primary school children (8.4 ± 0.3 years; 15 boys) and forty-two secondary school adolescents (14.4 ± 0.3 years; 22 boys) participated in semi-structured focus groups, with inidividual interviews conducted with 8 teachers (2 male) and 7 parents (2 male). Questions addressed understanding of the PA guidelines, 3D model design, both motivation for, and potential engagement with, a 3D PA model intervention. Pupils were asked to use Play-Doh™ to create and describe a model that could represent their PAL (PAL). Data were transcribed verbatim, thematically analyzed and key emergent themes represented using pen profiles. Results: Pupils understood the concept of visualising PA as a 3D object, although adolescents were more able to analyse and critique differences between low and high PAL. Both youths and adults preferred a 3D model representing a week of PA data when compared to other temporal representations. Furthermore, all participants highlighted that 3D models could act as a motivational tool to enhance youths PA. From the Play-Doh™ designs, two key themes were identified by pupils, with preferences indicated for PA models of abstract representations of PA or bar charts depicting PA, respectively. Conclusions: These novel findings highlight the potential utility of 3D objects of PA as a mechanism to enhance children’s and adolescents’ understanding of, and motivation to increase, their PAL. This study suggests that 3D printing may offer a unique strategy for promoting PA in these groups.