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Changes in physical activity and rest-activity circadian rhythm among Hong Kong community aged population before and
Priscilla Ming Yi Lee1, Bixia Huang1, Gengze Liao1
1JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily reduced physical activity and disrupted circadian rhythms in older Hong Kong adults. However, the community population showed resilience, with activity levels rebounding, suggesting a short-term impact.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Epidemiology
- Chronobiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global public health and daily routines.
- Understanding its effects on vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, is crucial for public health strategies.
- Changes in physical activity and circadian rhythms can have profound health implications for older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on physical activity levels in Hong Kong's community-dwelling older adults.
- To assess changes in rest-activity circadian rhythm parameters measured by actigraphy before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To determine the duration and resilience of these effects in the elderly population.
Main Methods:
- A population-based, cross-sectional study design with three repeated measures was employed.
- Community-dwelling men aged over 60 in Hong Kong were recruited before, between, and during COVID-19 waves.
- International Physical Activity Questionnaire and 7-day actigraphy were used to measure physical activity and circadian rhythm parameters (MESOR, amplitude, acrophase, percent rhythm).
Main Results:
- Participants recruited between COVID-19 waves showed significantly lower physical activity (AOR=2.03) and reduced MESOR (AOR=2.05) and amplitude (AOR=1.91) compared to the pre-outbreak group.
- No significant differences in physical activity or circadian rhythm parameters were observed between the pre-outbreak and late 3rd wave groups.
- These findings suggest a transient effect of the pandemic on the studied parameters.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on physical activity and circadian rhythms in the elderly Hong Kong population appears to be short-term, highlighting their resilience.
- While physical activity is vital for older adults' health, a rebound may indicate potential risks if protective measures are relaxed.
- The study underscores the importance of sustained physical activity promotion and adaptive public health strategies during pandemics.
Background:
This study aims to determine the changes in physical activity and actigraphy-measured rest-activity circadian rhythm among Hong Kong community aged population before and during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Methods:
This is a three repeated measure population-based cross-sectional study. We recruited community older men aged > 60 years in three periods of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong, i.e., before the COVID-19 outbreak (2 July 2019-8 January 2020), between the 2nd and 3rd waves of COVID-19 (23 June 2020-9 July 2020), and during the 3rd wave of COVID-19 (15 September 2020-29 September 2020). Participants reported detailed information on their physical activity habits using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and wore actigraphs continuously for 7 days (168 h). The actigraph data were then transferred to four rest-activity circadian rhythm parameters: midline statistic of rhythm (MESOR), amplitude, acrophase and percent rhythm. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to estimate the association of period effect of COVID-19 on physical activity and rest-activity circadian rhythm parameters.
Results:
Among the 242 community older men, 106 (43.8%) of them were recruited before the COVID-19 outbreak, 66 (27.3%) were recruited between the 2nd and 3rd waves of COVID-19, and 70 (28.9%) were recruited during the late phase of the 3rd wave of COVID-19. Compared with those recruited before COVID-19, participants recruited between the 2nd and 3rd waves of COVID-19 had lower physical activity (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.03, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) =1.05-3.93), MESOR (AOR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.01-4.18), and amplitude (AOR = 1.91, 95%CI = 0.95-3.83). There was no difference in physical activity or circadian rhythm parameters between subjects recruited before and during the late phase of the 3rd wave.
Conclusions:
This study found that the effect of COVID-19 on physical activity and rest-activity circadian rhythm for the community people may be short-term, indicating strong resilience of the community population. Although maintaining physical activity are encouraged for the older adults to sustain good health, a rebound in their physical activity may be a sign for the next wave of outbreak if insufficient social distancing and population protection are facilitated.
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