ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1667303
This article is part of the Research TopicLong-Term Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Well-Being in Education: Underlying Mechanisms and Intervention StrategiesView all 8 articles
Higher Education Fatigue and Its Associated Factors Among Healthcare Undergraduates in Post-COVID-19
Provisionally accepted
Yuwadee Wittayapun1Panicha Polpanadham1Thippawan Palanuput2Patthanasak Khammaneechan3
Muhamad Zulfatul A'la4
Nitita Piya-amornphan (Dorkkam)1*- 1School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
- 2Walailak University School of Nursing, Thai Buri, Thailand
- 3Walailak University, Thai Buri, Thailand
- 4Universitas Jember, Jember, Indonesia
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Abstract Fatigue is a universal complaint among university students. It has contributed to poor academic outcomes and unhealthy conditions. The modification of teaching and learning modalities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been identified as a key contributor to increased fatigue among students, which is linked to rising mental health concerns in this population. These changes have also influenced students' health behaviors. Despite these challenges, online and hybrid classrooms have become increasingly prevalent due to their advantages. This study aimed to systematically assess fatigue and related health behavior issues among undergraduates in the context of educational disruptions. Purposive sampling was applied, and an analytical observational study was conducted among 1,108 undergraduate healthcare professional students, including those enrolled in nursing, physical therapy, and public health programs. The severity of fatigue, history of musculoskeletal complaints, 3 body mass index, and daily sedentary time were assessed using self-administered questionnaires delivered via Microsoft forms, and correlation analyses were conducted among these variables. Fatigue was commonly observed among students in post-COVID-19 learning, with online, face-to-face, and hybrid classroom settings, and its severity was also associated with higher musculoskeletal complaint and higher body mass index. In conclusion, university students are vulnerable to higher education-related fatigue, which may be linked to educational disruptions and lifestyle changes. They also face elevated risks of obesity and sedentary behavior. Moreover, fatigue was associated with students' self-reported health conditions, underscoring its multifaceted impact. Therefore, early detection of fatigue and continuous support through lifestyle modifications should be prioritized to promote both learning capacity and health among undergraduates.
Keywords: Fatigue, Learning, Education, COVID-19, Adolescent Health, Well-being
Received: 16 Jul 2025; Accepted: 15 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wittayapun, Polpanadham, Palanuput, Khammaneechan, A'la and Piya-amornphan (Dorkkam). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nitita Piya-amornphan (Dorkkam), nitita.do@mail.wu.ac.th
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