Social distancing and injuries in students during physical exercise and/or sport

Abstract

In the last two years, the scientific literature has revealed the negative physical, psychological and affective-social repercussions of confinement and social distancing measures, being the sports field, in particular, the one analyzed in this study. The purpose of this research is to relate the frequency and severity of the injury in physical exercise and/or sport with the population’s perception of the importance of social distancing and the use of masks to reduce Covid-19 infections. The study sample is made up of 203 participants (95 men and 108 women), with a mean age of 16 years (SD= 6), belonging to schools in the province of Alicante and Spanish universities. A cross-sectional and correlational design was acquired with a selective data collection strategy using self-report measures. To evaluate the injuries, a self-report record was developed and for the population’s perception of the usefulness of social distancing measures, the Perception Questionnaire on Causal Factors of COVID-19 (CPFC-COVID-19) was used. The results indicate that those subjects who perceive more important the maintenance of a safety distance and the use of masks to stop infections, present high levels in the dimension of social distancing for mild and moderate sports injuries, while those that give less relevance are seriously or very seriously injured. The relationships of these variables are discussed, as well as the applicability of the results. © 2023, Universidad Catolica San Antonio Murcia. All rights reserved.