THUNDER BAY — Researchers at Lakehead University will use a grant from Bell Let's Talk to study how COVID-19 has affected physical activity and the mental health of post-secondary students.
Faculty members Ian Newhouse and Erin Pearson of the School of Kinesiology are leading the project.
According to a news release from LU, COVID-19 restrictions have negatively impacted the frequency and modes of physical activity that students engage in.
"While a strong link has been established between mental health and physical activity, the question of how to best promote physical activity during a pandemic needs further exploration," Newhouse said.
The study is aimed at identifying strategies that can be used to develop future programming at Lakehead.
Newhouse said it's possible that some strategies honed during the pandemic could carry forward to non-pandemic times.
Over the next year, the team will build on a pilot study that investigated physical activity in a university-aged, healthy cohort from January 2020 to March 2021.
They'll partner with LU's Student Health and Wellness.
Director of Student Health and Wellness Cheryl D'Angelo said the project outcome will help identify potential risk factors for student mental health, "adding to the evidence that informs our health promotion strategies."
The Bell Let's Talk grant is for $25,000.
Last month, the program announced $3 million in contributions for more than 100 schools to support the implementation of the National Standard for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students.
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the standard – the first of its kind in the world – is a set of flexible, voluntary guidelines to help post-secondary institutions support the mental health and well-being of their students.
