Background: Public health recommendations and governmental measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in numerous restrictions on daily living including social distancing, isolation and home confinement. While these measures are imperative to abate the spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on health behaviours and lifestyles at home is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey was launched in April 2020, in seven languages, to elucidate the behavioural and lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 restrictions. This report presents the results from the first thousand responders on physical activity (PA) and nutrition behaviours. Methods: Following a structured review of the literature, the “Effects of home Confinement on multiple Lifestyle Behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak (ECLB-COVID19)” Electronic survey was designed by a steering group of multidisciplinary scientists and academics. The survey was uploaded and shared on the Google online survey platform. Thirty-five research organisations from Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia and the Americas promoted the survey in English, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Slovenian languages. Questions were presented in a differential format, with questions related to responses “before” and “during” confinement conditions. Results: 1047 replies (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%) and other (3%) were included in the analysis. The COVID-19 home confinement had a negative effect on all PA intensity levels (vigorous, moderate, walking and overall). Additionally, daily sitting time increased from 5 to 8 h per day. Food consumption and meal patterns (the type of food, eating out of control, snacks between meals, number of main meals) were more unhealthy during confinement, with only alcohol binge drinking decreasing significantly. Conclusion: While isolation is a necessary measure to protect public health, results indicate that it alters physical activity and eating behaviours in a health compromising direction. A more detailed analysis of survey data will allow for a segregation of these responses in different age groups, countries and other subgroups, which will help develop interventions to mitigate the negative lifestyle behaviours that have manifested during the COVID-19 confinement.

Background. The COVID-19 lockdown could engender disruption to lifestyle behaviors, thus impairing mental wellbeing in the general population. This study investigated whether sociodemographic variables, changes in physical activity, and sleep quality from pre- to during lockdown were predictors of change in mental wellbeing in quarantined older adults. Methods. A 12-week international online survey was launched in 14 languages on 6 April 2020. Forty-one research institutions from Europe, Western-Asia, North-Africa, and the Americas, promoted the survey. The survey was presented in a differential format with questions related to responses “pre” and “during” the lockdown period. Participants responded to the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results. Replies from older adults (aged >55 years, n = 517), mainly from Europe (50.1%), Western-Asia (6.8%), America (30%), and North-Africa (9.3%) were analyzed. The COVID-19 lockdown led to significantly decreased mental wellbeing, sleep quality, and total physical activity energy expenditure levels (all p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed that the change in total PSQI score and total physical activity energy expenditure (F_{(2, 514)} = 66.41 p < 0.001) were significant predictors of the decrease in mental wellbeing from pre- to during lockdown (p < 0.001, R²: 0.20). Conclusion. COVID-19 lockdown deleteriously affected physical activity and sleep patterns. Furthermore, change in the total PSQI score and total physical activity energy expenditure were significant predictors for the decrease in mental wellbeing.

We studied the relationship between daily training load (TL) experienced by professional soccer players and the Hooper questionnaire reflecting their perceived quality of sleep, fatigue, stress and delayed onset muscle soreness. During a 16-week training period, the rating of perceived exertion and duration were collected after each training session, and daily TL was calculated from 14 professional soccer players. The Hooper questionnaire was completed every day before the first training session and the Hooper’s score (HS) was then calculated. The daily TL and HS were 379.9 ± 198.3 AU and 16.2 ± 5.1, respectively. Pearson correlation showed significant relationships (p < 0.01) between TL and perceived fatigue, muscle soreness, sleep and stress. Our findings revealed that the perceived sleep, stress, fatigue and muscle soreness are moderately related to the daily TL in professional soccer players. The Hooper questionnaire is both a simple and useful tool for monitoring perceived wellness and psychometric players’ status of professional soccer players.

Perceived changes due to training monotony, strain, sleep, stress, fatigue, muscle soreness and the influence of specific training sessions on the affective valence were explored in professional soccer players. Seventeen players completed the Hooper questionnaire, the ratings of perceived exertion and feeling scale (FS) every training/match day before and during the soccer season. Higher players’ training loads were recorded during pre-season when compared with in-season period (2558.1 ± 262.4 vs. 1642.8 ± 169.3 a.u., p < 0.01; respectively). The ratings of sleep, stress, fatigue and muscle soreness in pre-season were higher than those observed during in-season (p < 0.01) whereas the feeling score was lower (p < 0.01). Furthermore, training sessions, including technical/tactical work, induced an improved feeling score but linked with a lower training load when compared with sessions focus on physical emphasis (p < 0.01). Pre-season period of training induces a significantly more strenuous and exhausting demands on professional soccer players compared with the in-season period at the elite level.

This study aimed to examine: (i) the effect of decreasing training load (TL) during taper weeks on physical match activities in professional soccer players, and (ii) to disclose the relationship between weekly TL and physical match activities. Rating of perceived exertion was collected after each training session and match to quantify the TL in 19 professional players over 17 standard and 7 taper weeks during the season. Physical match activities were quantified by a computerised match analysis system and compared between standard training and taper weeks. Compared to standard weeks, the duration and frequency of training sessions during the taper weeks decreased (−21.7% and −18.8%, respectively; P < 0.01) with no change in intensity (−4.8%; P = 0.09). Consequently, the weekly TL decreased during the taper weeks (−25.5%; P < 0.01). Increases in distance covered by intense running (+15.1%; P < 0.05), high-intensity running (HIR) (+15.7%; P < 0.01), number of sprints (+17.8%; P < 0.05) and number of high-speed runs (+15.7%; P < 0.05) were observed during the seven matches played after the taper weeks. High relationships were observed between TL and HIR distance covered, number of HIR and number of sprints (r = −0.53; r = −0.55; r = −0.65, respectively; P < 0.01). Decreasing TL during taper weeks by reducing training duration and frequency but maintaining intensity was associated with an increase in physical activities during matches. However, it needs to be determined whether tapering or other match factors led to the changes in match activity.

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