A Tale of Two Pandemics [COVID-19 and Physical Activity Series]
A Tale of Two Pandemics by Dr. Grenita Hall and co-authors is a commentary on the interrelationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the physical inactivity/sedentary behavior pandemics. Physical inactivity was defined as a pandemic in 2012, and today 31% of people aged 15 and older are physically inactive, according to the World Health Organization. Dr. Hall and co-authors hypothesize that the COVID-10 pandemic has the potential to accelerate the physical inactivity/sedentary behavior pandemic even further. With the suspension of physical activity opportunities in school-based physical education and athletic programs, fitness centers and public parks and social distancing and shelter in place directives, they believe it is likely that COVID-19 is making the world move even less than before. Dr. Hall and co-authors cite research on natural disasters and physical activity indicating a lasting significant decrease in physical activity in children and adolescents. They recommend that similar research must be conducted to determine the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity patterns and sedentary time. Dr. Hall and co-authors also examine the intersection between current risks for health complications and mortality rates associated with COVID-19 and the current state of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. They highlight the risk for a vicious cycle where current and potentially accelerated physical inactivity patterns and sedentary behaviors may worsen the impact of future pandemics. The world will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and so-called normal activities will resume. However, the physical inactivity/sedentary behavior pandemic will continue and, more troublingly, we may be at risk for this pandemic to worsen as a result of COVID-19.
Hall, G., Laddu, D. R., Phillips, S. A., Lavie, C. J., & Arena, R. (2020). A tale of two pandemics: How will COVID-19 and global trends in physical inactivity and sedentary behavior affect one another?. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.
