Changes In Physical Activity Behavior After One Pandemic Year

Abstract

PURPOSE: Decreased physical activity (PA) practice with pandemic stay-at-home measures has been well-documented. Less well-known is how behavior changes as restrictions ease. The aim of this study was to investigate change in behavior following lifted pandemic restrictions. METHODS: University staff (n = 154) who participated in a 2020 vaccination study and were receiving their second consecutive seasonal influenza vaccine agreed to data linkage. The April 2020 recruitment occurred ~7w into strict stay-at-home orders. 2021 participation occurred in May; blended on-campus/online teaching had begun ~2.5mo prior, preceded by on-campus working and the opening of community and commercial sporting facilities permitted for ~11mo prior. Participants self-reported health behaviors, including the number of days in the past week they had done ≥30 min PA which was enough to raise breathing rate; servings/d of fruit and vegetables; alcohol intake frequency; and emotional health (DASS-21). Sufficient PA was defined as ≥4 d PA. Chi-square and t-tests, with α = 0.05, were conducted to compare between years. Sydney University Ethics Approval: 2019/711. RESULTS: Respondents were mostly female (62%) with mean age of 44 yrs. BMI, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption and mental health indicators remained stable. Although overall sufficient PA was unchanged at 45%, shifts at either tail indicated less overall PA: the proportion of low exercisers (≤1 d/w) increased from 18% to 25% while high exercisers (≥6 d/w) decreased from 19% to 12%. Subgroup analyses suggested decreases at the high end were more notable in females (12% decrease) and in the middle age tertile (38-50y; 11% decrease). The youngest tertile (≤38y) were the least sufficiently physically active (35%) and they had the largest increase (13%) in low PA. CONCLUSIONS: Adults are insufficiently active and, following lockdown, have reduced PA despite returned access to facilities. Public health PA programs may need to target and better-support younger adults in particular. A government voucher program for children’s sport has increased their PA and another for post-pandemic dining, arts and tourism was well-utilized; these successes suggest that an adult sport voucher program could be well-received and provide positive health outcomes.