Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to pose profound challenges to society. Its spread has been mitigated through strategies including social distancing; however, this may result in the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle. This study aimed to investigate: (1) physical activity (PA) levels, sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep in young adults during the COVID-19 epidemic, and (2) the change in these behaviors before and during the pandemic. A total of 631 young adults (38.8% males) aged between 18 and 35 participated in the cross-sectional study and completed a one-off online survey relating to general information, PA, SB, and sleep. For the longitudinal study, PA, SB, and sleep data, obtained from 70 participants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, were analyzed. Participants engaged in low PA, high SB, and long sleep duration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, a significant decline in PA while an increase in time spent in both SB and sleep was observed during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results of this study demonstrated a sedentary lifestyle in young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will assist health policymakers and practitioners in the development of population specific health education and behavior interventions during this pandemic and for other future events.
Highlights
Since the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, in earlyDecember 2019 [1], the disease has rapidly spread across the world [2]
The major findings of our study were that engagement in all physical activity (PA) behaviors significantly declined while time spent in sedentary behavior (SB) and sleep duration significantly increased following the COVID-19 outbreak
Our finding of a decrease in all types of PA (i.e., moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA) and walking) after the COVID-19 outbreak are consistent with a recent national survey in Canada, which reported a significant decline in all physical activities in children and adolescents [15]
Summary
Since the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, in earlyDecember 2019 [1], the disease has rapidly spread across the world [2]. Since the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, in early. Kong was reported in late January 2020 [3], and an escalation in the number of cases was observed in late March and early July 2020, respectively [4]. Unprecedented efforts have been made by Governments across the globe to contain the epidemic—e.g., quarantine, social distancing, and the isolation of infected individuals [6]. The efforts made by the Hong Kong Government, for instance, included border entry restrictions, quarantine and the isolation of cases and contacts, and the closure of schools, resulting in major disruptions to daily routines [7]. An escalation in the number of cases in
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