Children’s Physical Activity Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s physical activity behaviors. Furthermore, children's indoor and outdoor physical activity opportunities and daily habits including screen time and sleep patterns were investigated. A mixed methods approach was used in which survey methodology was combined with semi-structured interviews. The convenience sampling method was used. A sample of parents (n = 205, 165 mothers) of children (5-12 years) participated in the survey. Semi-structured interviews were used to assess changes in children’s physical activity behaviors and daily habits (screen time and sleep patterns) in detail. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, standard deviations, and means) and thematic analysis were used for data analysis. The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions caused a decline in children’s physical activity participation, particularly a dramatic decrease in outdoor time. However, outdoor time was associated with better mental health, more active time, and less sedentary behaviors. The screen time also increased and parents had local and temporal solutions to control screen time. Although the sleep hours were sufficient for children, delays occurred in the sleep/wake schedule of children, and sleep-related problems were reported by parents. Based on the study results, professionals could help families to regulate children’s daily habits. These findings could also guide efforts to promote outdoor physical activity places to prevent the negative influence of long-term homestay periods for future extreme cases.