RT journal article
T1 A Pandemic within the Pandemic? Physical Activity Levels Substantially Decreased in Countries Affected by COVID-19
A1 Wilke, Jan
A1 Mohr, Lisa
A1 Tenforde, Adam S.
A1 Edouard, Pascal
A1 Fossati, Chiara
A1 González-Gross, Marcela
A1 Sánchez Ramírez, Celso
A1 Laiño, Fernando
A1 Tan, Benedict
A1 Pillay, Julian David
A1 Pigozzi, Fabio
A1 Jiménez Pavón, David
A1 Novak, Bernhard
A1 Jaunig, Johannes
A1 Zhang, Mandy
A1 van Poppel, Mireille
A1 Heidt, Christoph
A1 Willwacher, Steffen
A1 Yuki, Gustavo
A1 Lieberman, Daniel E.
A1 Vogt, Lutz
A1 Verhagen, Evert
A1 Hespanhol, Luiz
A1 Hollander, Karsten
A2 Didáctica de la Educación FísicaPlástica y Musical
K1 coronavirus
K1 health
K1 exercise
K1 guidelines
AB Governments have restricted public life during the COVID-19 pandemic, inter alia closing sports facilities and gyms. As regular exercise is essential for health, this study examined the effect of pandemic-related confinements on physical activity (PA) levels. A multinational survey was performed in 14 countries. Times spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as well as in vigorous physical activity only (VPA) were assessed using the Nordic Physical Activity Questionnaire (short form). Data were obtained for leisure and occupational PA pre- and during restrictions. Compliance with PA guidelines was calculated based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). In total, n = 13,503 respondents (39 +/- 15 years, 59% females) were surveyed. Compared to pre-restrictions, overall self-reported PA declined by 41% (MVPA) and 42.2% (VPA). Reductions were higher for occupational vs. leisure time, young and old vs. middle-aged persons, previously more active vs. less active individuals, but similar between men and women. Compared to pre-pandemic, compliance with WHO guidelines decreased from 80.9% (95% CI: 80.3-81.7) to 62.5% (95% CI: 61.6-63.3). Results suggest PA levels have substantially decreased globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key stakeholders should consider strategies to mitigate loss in PA in order to preserve health during the pandemic.
PB MDPI
SN 1660-4601
YR 2021
FD 2021-03
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/24760
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/24760
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 12-nov-2026