Loneliness and physical activity during a COVID-19 lockdown. A comparison of urban and rural areas in the Hanover Region.

Sahlender, Laurens (2021) Loneliness and physical activity during a COVID-19 lockdown. A comparison of urban and rural areas in the Hanover Region. Bachelor thesis.

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Abstract

There is a well-established relationship between loneliness, physical activity (PA), and neighborhood characteristics. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the determinants of physical, mental and social well-being in urban and rural areas. This study evaluated the interplay between neighborhood characteristics, loneliness and PA in urban and rural areas of the Hanover Region. The following research question has been posed: How are loneliness and physical activity associated with accessibility of green spaces, sport- and leisure facilities in urban and rural areas of the Hanover Region during COVID-19 lockdown times? Primary data (n = 112) from an online questionnaire was analyzed using Spearman correlations to describe associations between loneliness, PA and neighborhood characteristics. A Mann-Whitney U test and a two-sample t-test were used to assess differences between loneliness and PA in urban and rural areas. No associations were found between loneliness and physical activity, and between loneliness and accessibility of green spaces, sports- and leisure facilities. There were no associations between PA and accessibility of green spaces, sport- and leisure facilities, except for a weak positive association (rs = .199, p = .075) between PA and travel time by bike. Proximity of neighborhood facilities in pre-lockdown times reduces loneliness and is conducive to PA; this research does not provide supporting evidence for such associations during a pandemic lockdown.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Degree programme:	Spatial Planning and Design
Supervisor:	Ramezani, S.
Date Deposited:	06 Jul 2021 16:33
Last Modified:	06 Jul 2021 16:33
URI:	https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3526

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