Cross-sectional study of changes in physical activity behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic among US adults

Kathleen B Watson,Emily Ussery,Tiffany J Chen,Geoffrey P Whitfield,John D Omura,George Huntzicker,Robyn Neblett Fanfair

doi:10.1186/s12966-021-01161-4

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) provides numerous health benefits relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, concerns exist that PA levels may have decreased during the pandemic thus exacerbating health disparities. This study aims to determine changes in and locations for PA and reasons for decreased PA during the pandemic.MethodsReported percentage of changes in and locations for PA and reasons for decreased PA were examined in 3829 US adults who completed the 2020 SummerStyles survey.ResultsOverall, 30% reported less PA, and 50% reported no change or no activity during the pandemic; percentages varied across subgroups. Adults who were non-Hispanic Black (Black) or Hispanic (vs. non-Hispanic White, (White)) reported less PA. Fewer Black adults (vs. White) reported doing most PA in their neighborhood. Concern about exposure to the virus (39%) was the most common reason adults were less active.ConclusionsIn June 2020, nearly one-third of US adults reported decreased PA; 20% reported increased PA. Decreased activity was higher among Black and Hispanic compared to White adults; these two groups have experienced disproportionate COVID-19 impacts. Continued efforts are needed to ensure everyone has access to supports that allow them to participate in PA while still following guidance to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Highlights

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020 [1]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 20.3% of US adults reported being more active, 30.4% of adults reported being less active, and 42.7% of adults reported no change in their amount of physical activity; these percentages varied significantly across subgroups (Table 1)
Among those who reported doing some physical activity, over half reported they did most of their activity inside their home (61.1%) and around their neighborhood (51.1%) while few reported doing most physical activity at a park or public trail (16.7%) or at another location (9.6%)

Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020 [1]. Adults of any age with certain underlying health conditions, including cancer, heart conditions such as coronary artery disease, Physical activity is an important behavior that provides numerous health benefits [14, 15], many of which are relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic [16]. Physical activity can help manage some of these chronic conditions [14, 15] Beyond these longterm benefits, physical activity offers important acute benefits including improved sleep and decreased symptoms of anxiety [14, 15] both of which have been negatively impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic [17,18,19,20,21]. This study aims to determine changes in and locations for PA and reasons for decreased PA during the pandemic

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Conclusion