Covid-19 Adherence To Physical Activity Guidelines Moderates The Mental Health/toughness Relationship On Black/hispanic Females.

Physical activity (PA) improves mental health (MH). Mental toughness (MT) positively correlates to MH. Only 45% of Hispanics and Blacks over 18 years less than 40% US females meet the ACSM PA guidelines. has been decreasing during COVID-19. PURPOSE: Investigate pandemic effect adherence on MT-MH relationship previously physically active, Black Hispanic females. METHODS: Fifteen (age 21.3 ± 3.6 yr), six nine Black, who met guidelines before pandemic, completed Health Continuum Toughness Index inventories, while reporting their habits pandemic. Data analyzed with double moderation model-2 (MH=Y; MT = X). race were moderators. centered for product construction heteroscedasticity consistent error. Moderation conditioning significance set at p < 0.05. Analyses performed using SPSS©, PROCESS© v.3 by Hayes. RESULTS: Model significantly predicted MH (F5,9 8.9, .003, R2 .7). (b 11.0, t9 3.3, .009). Significant MTxPA interaction (F1,9 19.0, .002, ΔR2 .3). PA, race, MTxRace did not predict Blacks, but during, presented significant positive between 2.9, 3.7, .005; b 3.5, 5.4, .0004, respectively), better Hispanics, both non-significant negative -.3, .8) having worst prediction retained a .4, .6, .6) weak prediction. CONCLUSIONS: Results infer buffering (Black) an antagonistic (Hispanic) moderating physically-active This preliminary evidence suggests that adhering would decrease (less positive) in reverse (becomes negative) Possible explanations include different response additional stress due cultural differences. Larger-scale studies are needed examine mechanistic explanation this observation.