Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41080807›Full record

ArticleJournal of multidisciplinary healthcare2025

Adapted Physical Activity Protocol Improves Health-Related Quality of Life and Psychological Outcomes in Long COVID: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.

Nadhir Hammami, Souad Karoui, Mehrzia Amani Khezami, Halil İbrahim Ceylan, Wissem Dhahbi, Emna Bahlouli, Imededdine Ben Jeddou, Ismail Dergaa, Sonia Lebib, Fatma-Zohra Ben Salah and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Nadhir HammamiResearch Unit (UR22JS01) "Sport Sciences, Health and Movement", High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Le Kef, Tunisia.ORCID 0000-0002-5256-2887
Souad KarouiDepartement of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kassab Institute of Orthopedics, Tunis, Tunisia.ORCID 0009-0009-5174-9410
Mehrzia Amani Khezami *Departement of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kassab Institute of Orthopedics, Tunis, Tunisia.
Halil İbrahim Ceylan *Department of Physical Education of Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Türkiye.ORCID 0000-0003-1133-5511
Wissem DhahbiResearch Unit (UR22JS01) "Sport Sciences, Health and Movement", High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Le Kef, Tunisia.ORCID 0000-0001-6221-546X
Emna BahlouliDepartement of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kassab Institute of Orthopedics, Tunis, Tunisia.
Imededdine Ben JeddouDepartement of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kassab Institute of Orthopedics, Tunis, Tunisia.
Ismail DergaaHigh Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Saïd, University of Manouba, Manouba, Tunisia.ORCID 0000-0001-8091-1856
Sonia LebibDepartement of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kassab Institute of Orthopedics, Tunis, Tunisia.
Fatma-Zohra Ben SalahDepartement of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kassab Institute of Orthopedics, Tunis, Tunisia.
Valentina StefanicaDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sciences, Physical Education and Informatics, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Pitesti University Center, Pitesti, Romania.ORCID 0000-0003-4031-1412
Raul Ioan MunteanDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University "1 Decembrie 1918" of Alba Iulia, Alba Iulia, Romania.
Catherine DziriDepartement of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kassab Institute of Orthopedics, Tunis, Tunisia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in persistent symptoms in some individuals-referred to as long COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Common symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, anxiety, and depression can markedly impair health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Conventional rehabilitation may be insufficient, raising interest in Adapted Physical Activity (APA) as a non-pharmacological strategy to improve physical and psychological outcome. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the short- and medium-term effects of an APA protocol on HRQOL and psychological outcomes in patients with long COVID. Methods: Fifty non-hospitalized patients with long COVID (mean age 52.0 ± 15.3 years; 44% female) participated in in a prospective, longitudinal observational study. Each patient underwent a 6-week APA program consisting of two 30-minute individualized cardiorespiratory sessions per week. HRQOL (SF-12), anxiety, and depression (HADS) were evaluated at baseline (E1), immediately post-intervention (E2), and at 5-7 months follow-up (E3). Results: Significant improvements were found in both physical and mental SF-12 scores across time points (p < 0.001). The proportion of patients with normal physical HRQOL rose from 16% at baseline to 90% at E2 and remained higher than baseline at E3 (66%). Symptoms of anxiety and depression were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). Dyspnea prevalence decreased substantially from baseline to follow-ups. Strong negative correlations were observed between HRQOL and HADS scores (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The APA protocol showed significant short- and medium-term improvements in HRQOL and psychological outcomes in long COVID patients. Benefits were more pronounced for physical symptoms and anxiety than for depression. These findings suggest that structured physical activity may offer a feasible, non-pharmacological strategy to enhance recovery and quality of life. Incorporating APA into routine care may help meet the diverse functional and psychological needs of this population.

Indexed as

anxietycardiorespiratory fitnessCOVID-19 RehabilitationdepressionPost-COVID Syndromequality of life

Identifiers

PMID41080807
PMCPMC12515012

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.