The Association of Headache and Physical Activity in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND

Prospective studies of the risk of headache with low levels of physical activity are limited. Pandemic-related lifestyle changes and the potential headache risk associated with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may complicate this association. Our study aims to investigate the potential risk of new bothersome headache in relation to physical activity and explore the impact of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on this association.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study utilized questionnaires from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for new-onset headache according to physical activity levels. Models were adjusted for gender, age, body mass index, education level, smoking, alcohol intake, anxiety/depression, and COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination prior to February 2022. The potential impact of COVID-19 disease was investigated in a stratified analysis.

RESULTS

Both low level of physical activity and inactivity were significantly associated with new bothersome headache when compared to moderate to high activity levels (low activity: aOR 1.22, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.30; inactive: aOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.51). The corresponding adjusted absolute risk differences were 1.9% (95% CI 1.2 to 2.6) and 2.3% (95% CI 0.4 to 4.3), respectively. Findings persisted across COVID-19 status strata, without significant interactions.

CONCLUSION

Our findings underscore the potential role of physical activity in mitigating new bothersome headache also for headache associated with COVID-19. Encouraging regular physical activity may serve as a preventive measure for headache in a pandemic setting.