Abstract
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, sufficient physical activity has had a positive effect on physical and mental health. This study aimed to assess levels of physical activity among Saudi participants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study included 244 young and middle-aged Saudi adults (154 males, 90 females), (mean age ± SD, 33.8 ± 7.7 years). All subjects completed an online self-report questionnaire to determine their physical activity levels over the last 7 days. Paired t-tests were used to determine if there were significant differences in the total MET-minutes/week of physical activity (i.e., insufficiently active and sufficiently active) between different variables of physical activity-related social contexts. Results: A significant decrease (57.1%) in the time spent performing physical activity before and during the COVID-19 lockdown was observed. No significant difference in total MET-min/week of physical activity before and during the lockdown was observed for the participants who participated in physical activity with a personal trainer (before = 2207 ± 389.3 MET-min/week; during = 2077 ± 201.5 MET-min/week). However, results indicated significant decreases in physical activity for participants who performed physical activity alone (59%), with family (61.6%), with friends (62%), or with groups (61.3%). Conclusion: The results of this study showed a significant decrease in the amount of time spent in physical activity levels during the COVID-19 lockdown than before the lockdown period. These findings may have implications for the essential development of public health initiatives that aim to increase physical activity levels during the pandemic. This study adds to the knowledge base by showing how people during the COVID-19 lockdown have more time to be physically active at home; nevertheless, this study indicates that participants are insufficiently physically active.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) belongs to a family of viruses that usually cause acute respiratory tract illnesses, for example, the common cold [1 - 3]
No significant difference in total Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)-min/week of physical activity performed before or during the lockdown was observed for participants who participated in physical activity with a personal trainer, (t [4] = 0.57, p = 0.59)
The present study investigated how lockdown and staying at home have affected the level of physical activity of individuals who participated in physical activity-related social contexts before the COVID-19 lockdown
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) belongs to a family of viruses that usually cause acute respiratory tract illnesses, for example, the common cold [1 - 3]. At the beginning of 2020, the World Health Organization became alarmed at the spread of this virus and, on January 30, 2020, declared COVID-19 to be a public health. The first case of COVID-19 was detected in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on March 2, 2020. The KSA was among the leading countries to carry out several strategies to help delay the spread of the disease. These strategies included suspending events with super-spreader potential, such as city festivals and a massive cultural celebration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sufficient physical activity has had a positive effect on physical and mental health. This study aimed to assess levels of physical activity among Saudi participants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
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