Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2025
Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
Relationship between Pain, Physical Activity, Screen Time and Age among Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reem M Basuodan1, Afnan Gmmash2, Mshari Alghadier3
1Department of Rehabilitation Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
COVID-19 lockdowns increased children's screen time (ST) and affected physical activity (PA). Increasing PA may reduce children's ST and general pain.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions impacted children's daily routines, including screen time (ST), physical activity (PA), and pain levels.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for addressing potential long-term health consequences in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between children's ST, PA, pain, and age before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdowns.
- To identify how pandemic-related measures influenced these health parameters in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to caregivers of 329 children (median age 8 years) assessing PA, ST, and pain.
- Data were collected for periods before, during, and after COVID-19 curfews.
- Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was employed to analyze associations between variables.
Main Results:
- Children exhibited increased ST during and after lockdowns compared to pre-lockdown periods.
- A weak negative correlation was observed between pain and PA intensity post-curfew (r=-0.11, p=0.04).
- A weak positive correlation was found between pain and ST post-curfew (r=+0.12, p=0.04).
- Strong positive correlations were noted for ST across all time periods (p>0.01).
- Weak negative relationships between PA and ST were present during and after lockdowns (p>0.05).
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 lockdowns led to sustained increases in children's screen time.
- Higher physical activity levels may be associated with reduced screen time in children.
- Interventions promoting physical activity could potentially mitigate increased screen time and decrease general pain in children.
Introduction:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented restrictions, social distancing measures, and lockdowns to limit the spread of the disease. These lockdowns have affected children's screen time (ST), pain, and physical activity (PA) levels. The present study aimed to explore the relationships between ST, pain, age, and PA before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
The caregivers of 329 children (median age = 8 years) filled out an online self-reported survey about the children's PA, ST, and pain before, during, and after the COVID-19 curfew. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to explore the associations between these variables.
Results:
After the curfew, pain that existed before the pandemic had a weak negative relationship with PA intensity (-0.11, p = 0.04) and a weak positive relationship with ST (r = +0.12, p = 0.04). There was a strong positive relationship between ST in all time periods (p > 0.01). PA and ST had a weak negative relationship (p > 0.05) during the curfew and after the curfew but not before the COVID-19 pandemic. Age had a weak positive correlation with ST in all time periods (p > 0.01). In addition, ST was affected by the curfew.
Conclusion:
The study findings indicated that young children had longer ST during the curfew and after the curfew compared with before the curfew. Increasing PA could lessen children's ST, which could, in turn, increase the probability that their general pain would decrease.
