Impact of Activity Monitoring on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Body Weight during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Jacob E Barkley,Gregory Farnell,Brooke Turner,Ryan Wiet,Brianna Boyko

doi:10.3390/ijerph18147518

Abstract

Decreases in individuals’ physical activity and increases in sedentary behavior and bodyweight have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study assessed the ability of physical activity monitoring, which may promote physical activity and discourage sedentary behavior, to mitigate these negative outcomes. An evaluation of university samples (N = 404, 40.5 ± 15.4 years) of self-reported physical activity, sedentary behavior, and bodyweight prior to the closure of campus due to the pandemic in March of 2020 and again at the time of the survey administration (May–June 2020) during pandemic-related restrictions was performed. Participants also reported whether they did (n = 172) or did not (n = 232) regularly use physical activity monitoring technology. While physical activity was unchanged during the pandemic (p ≥ 0.15), participants significantly increased sitting by 67.8 ± 156.6 min/day and gained 0.64 ± 3.5 kg from pre-campus to post-campus closure (p < 0.001). However, the use of activity monitoring did not moderate these changes. In conclusion, while physical activity was not affected, participants reported significant increases in sedentary behavior and bodyweight during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes occurred regardless of whether participants regularly used physical activity monitoring or not.

Highlights

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that is transmitted from person to person via respiratory droplets and by 2020 it induced a global pandemic [1,2]
While this study provides novel information regarding the potential impact of physical activity monitoring technology on health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not without limitations
This study adds to the growing body of evidence that the initial months of the COVID19 pandemic may be associated with increased sedentary behavior and bodyweight

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that is transmitted from person to person via respiratory droplets and by 2020 it induced a global pandemic [1,2]. In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 there were guidelines established by the spring of 2020 that limited access to fitness facilities, outdoor recreation areas, and other businesses and public spaces. These changes likely limited access to physical activity options for many individuals which may result in reductions in physical activity behavior [3,4]. Recommendations to socially distance from others outside of one’s home likely altered social interactions This may negatively impact physical activity behavior since positive social interaction is predictive of physical activity participation [5,6,7,8,9]. These researchers provided recommendations for methods to maintain physical activity (e.g., at home exercise) in this challenging environment in an effort to avoid these potentially negative outcomes

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