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Published on: July 27, 2022
Long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's physical activity and sedentary behavior
Kristen N Moore1, Bridgette Do1, Shirlene D Wang1
1Department of Population and Public Health Sciences University of Southern California Los Angeles California USA.
Background:
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, decreases in physical activity (PA) and increases in sedentary behavior (SB) were reported among children in the United States (U.S.). This follow-up analysis examines 13-month effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's PA and SB one year into the pandemic.
Methods:
Parents of 5-13-year-old children in the U.S. (N = 71) reported on their child's PA and SB during the early COVID-19 period (April-May 2020) and again 12-14 months later (June-July 2021).
Results:
Paired t-tests showed significant within-subject reductions in SB minutes per day (M diff = -86.20, t = 3.26, p < 0.01) but no changes in PA minutes per day. Separate mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of covariance procedures found that within-subject changes in PA and SB did not differ by child sex or age.
Conclusion:
As COVID-19 restrictions lessened, there were more opportunities for children to reduce SB, but there were still barriers to engage in PA.
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