Influence of Officially Ordered Restrictions During the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Patients after Kidney Transplantation in a Telemedicine Based Aftercare Program—A KTx360° Sub Study

• Main Authors: Alexander A. Hanke, Thorben Sundermeier, Hedwig T. Boeck, Elisabeth Schieffer, Johanna Boyen, Ana Céline Braun, Simone Rolff, Lothar Stein, Momme Kück, Mario Schiffer, Lars Pape, Martina de Zwaan, Sven Haufe, Arno Kerling, Uwe Tegtbur, Mariel Nöhre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: COVID-19; restrictions; physical activity; quality of life; QoL; kidney transplantation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/23/9144
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

Guidelines recommend a healthy lifestyle and regularly physical activity (PA) after kidney transplantation (KTx). The KTx360° program is a multicenter, multisectoral, multimodal, telemedicine-based follow-up care program. Effects of the first COVID-19 wave restrictions on health-related quality of life and PA of supervised KTx360° patients were evaluated using an online questionnaire. Six hundred and fifty-two KTx360° patients were contacted via email and were asked to complete the Freiburg questionnaire of physical activity and the Short form 12 Health Survey (SF-12) online. Pre-pandemic and lockdown data were compared in 248 data sets. While sporting activity decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, basic and leisure activity increased, resulting in increased overall activity. The physical component scale of the SF-12 was in the low normal range before as well as during the pandemic, with a small but significant increase during the pandemic. The mental component scale showed normal values before and during pandemic with a small but statistically significant decrease. Our study supports the effectiveness of a telemedicine based program for KTx patient care in maintaining PA and quality of life during the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, further research and observation during the ongoing pandemic are required.