Investigating the Effect of Exercise on Acute Anxiety, within 3rd and 4th Year Health Science Students at Queen Margaret University.

Abstract

This study is to determine if physical activity (exercises of specific intensity and frequency) have an effect on acute anxiety amongst third and fourth year, Health Science students at Queen Margaret University. It will explore the different intensities and frequencies of various types of exercise and explore if there is an effect on anxiety levels. This will be achieved by investigating the different levels of acute anxiety experienced between, a mixture of physically active and sedentary students. The introduction explains a broad understanding of acute anxiety as well as physical activity. Within this section there is an extensive literature review which looks at anxiety within the chosen population, then reviews literature on exercise and anxiety to identify a gap in knowledge. In this section the objectives and hypothesis are identified. Objectives: To find out the impact of physical activity towards overcoming/ managing acute anxiety; To find out the prevalence of anxiety and exercise in communities (age, gender, course); To find out the categories of exercises that can overcome anxiety, the Hypothesis being: exercise (of correct frequency and intensity) will reduce symptoms of acute anxiety within the chosen population, and therefore will prove to be an effective way of managing acute anxiety. Participants will be recruited through the process of email and hub site advert bulletins. Qualitative data will be acquired through two different questionnaires using the Qualtrics platform. One will look at the frequency and intensity they participate in during the week and the other will look at the level of anxiety they experience. The results will then be compared using SPSS to conduct a T-test in order see if any correlations lie between that of physical activity and anxiety, along with looking at other factors such as age and gender, to investigate if there are relationships within these different sub-groups. To conclude; the potential barriers towards study and other issues are highlighted in the discussion section.