A Cross-Sectional Study: The Effect of Enhanced Virtual Mode on the Self-Perceived Physical Activity of Third Year Medical Technology Students from a University in Manila, Philippines

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted several aspects of daily life, as governments around the world subjected their citizens to extended quarantine times to slow the spread of the dreaded virus. Among the affected institutions are schools, which have been forced to shift from face-to-face and consider online-based modes of delivery of learning. Given the novelty of this transition, the researchers conducted an online cross-sectional survey to determine the self-perceived general state of health and physical activity during face-to-face classes and during Enhanced Virtual Mode of instruction, which is conducted largely online, of third-year Medical Technology students in a university in Manila. As validated by the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, the results revealed that these two variables were significantly decreased during the course and conduct of online learning. Additionally, the researchers correlated the possible long-term health consequences of Enhanced Virtual Mode to the decreased physical activity third-year Medical Technology students currently engage in. Furthermore, the researchers also examined the coping mechanisms that the respondents utilized during the implementation of the Enhanced Virtual Mode of instruction. It was found that most third-year Medical Technology students resorted to using self-distraction/self-diversion as their coping mechanism. Conversely, substance abuse and denial turned out to be the least used adaptive strategy. However, varied responses were also found among the population.