Development Of A Survey To Assess Adults’ Awareness Of How Exercise Affects Immune Function

Previous work by our lab found that while many adults are aware that exercising regularly has a beneficial effect on chronic disease risk, most were not aware or not sure that exercise also benefits the immune system, especially upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) risk. A well-designed survey instrument is needed to better investigate this issue. PURPOSE: To develop and test a survey instrument for use in future studies to assess adults’ awareness levels of the effects of exercise on immune function and URTI risk, as well as willingness to continue getting vaccinated for COVID-19. METHODS: The survey was created in Google Forms and underwent two rounds of pilot testing. The study had IRB approval and all participants provided voluntary informed consent. After final refinement, the survey was sent out to a larger convenience sample of adults ranging in age from 18-85 yrs. The survey included statements on how moderate exercise, performed on a regular basis, effects an individual’s overall health, immune function, chronic disease risk, and URTI risk. They were asked to choose whether they agreed, somewhat agreed, were not sure/neutral, somewhat disagreed, or disagreed with each item. They were also asked about their COVID-19 vaccination status, and if they plan to continue to get annual COVID-19 boosters. Frequency distributions (total and % of respondents) were calculated for each item. RESULTS: 73 participants completed the final survey (39 females, 34 males; ages 18-39 y, n=50; 40-69 y, n=22; 70+ y, n=1). Most survey respondents were from two academic communities. Although 91.8% (n=67) agreed that exercise decreases chronic disease risk, only 53.4% (n=39) agreed that exercise can reduce URTI risk. While 83.6% (n=61) received the original COVID-19 vaccinations, and 47.9% (n=35) received at least 1 booster, 58.9% (n=43) indicated that they would continue to get annual COVID-19 vaccinations going forward. CONCLUSION: This survey instrument can be used to assess adults’ awareness levels regarding exercise and immune function, as well as vaccination willingness. Diverse populations should be included in future studies using this survey. In addition, more work must be done to educate adults about the beneficial effects of exercise on immune function and URTI risk.