Abstract
Mask wearing and physical distancing are effective at preventing COVID-19 transmission. Little is known about the practice of these behaviors during physical activity (PA). In this longitudinal study, direct observation was used to describe COVID-19 prevention behaviors among physically active individuals. The Viral Transmission Scan (VT-Scan) was used to assess COVID-19 prevention behaviors of people standing, sitting, walking, jogging, and cycling in educational, retail, and residential areas. The VT-Scan was performed once per week over 22 weeks between 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Information was manually extracted from videos collected during VT-Scans. A total of 4153 people were described, of which 71.2% were physically active, 80.0% were 18–30 years of age, 14.0% were non-white, 61.0% were female, and were 19.6% obese. Individuals not engaged in PA were less compliant with COVID-19 prevention behaviors than physically active people. Compliance differed by PA type, with walkers less compliant with COVID-19 prevention behaviors than joggers and cyclists. Among those physically active, non-compliance with COVID-19 prevention behaviors was higher in 18–30-year-olds, whites, and men. Engagement in COVID-19 prevention behaviors varies as a function of PA. Efforts to promote compliance with recommendations may benefit from tailored messaging, taking into account PA participation, PA type, and characteristics of physically active individuals.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic is driven by an airborne pathogen (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) that spreads by inhaling or ingesting respiratory droplets and aerosols expelled into the air from an infected human carrier
This study indicates that compliance rates with COVID-19 prevention behaviors vary as a function of physical activity
Future investigations are recommended to elucidate reasons compliance rates differ between people physically and not physically active in outdoor settings as well as between people performing different types of physical activity in outdoor spaces
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic is driven by an airborne pathogen (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) that spreads by inhaling or ingesting respiratory droplets and aerosols expelled into the air from an infected human carrier. Most governments have adopted various non-pharmaceutical interventions (i.e., COVID-19 prevention behaviors) to mitigate the spread of the virus with and without attaining desired vaccination levels and readily available treatments. These include social or physical distancing (staying at least six feet away from people not from your household in both indoor and outdoor spaces), the use of masks, and avoiding touching areas around
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