COVID-19 Closures and Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Children [COVID-19 and Physical Activity Series]

Early Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in US Children by Dr. Dunton and co-authors investigated the effects of COVID-19 related closures, cancellations, and restrictions on physical activity and sedentary behavior in U.S. children ages 5–13 years.  Data was collected between April 26 and May 16, 2020 through a baseline online survey of parents recruited through convenience sampling.  Parents reported on their child’s previous day physical activity and sedentary behavior, their child’s levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior in April-May as compared to February, and locations of their child’s physical activity including use of remote/streaming services.  Dr. Dunton and co-authors found that, on average, children expended a total of 892.0 (SD = 902.07) MET-min on previous day physical activity and 489.4 (SD = 211.5) min on previous day total sitting.  About 36% of parents reported their child had done much less physical activity in the past 7 days as compared to February, and 41% of parents reported their child had done much more sitting in the past 7 days as compared to February.  Dr. Dunton and co-authors also found that more children performed physical activity at home or in the garage, and on sidewalks and roads in their neighborhood in April-May as compared to February, and that the most frequently reported physical activities were free play/unstructured physical activity (e.g., running around, tag, other active games) and going for a walk.  Children ages 9–13 were more than five times as likely as children ages 5-8 to participate in team sports training sessions or practices through remote/streaming services.  Dr. Dunton and co-authors concluded that although school and park closures and cancellations of team sports and organized activity classes were necessary steps to mitigate COVID-19 spread, they appear to have had a profound impact on children’s physical activity and sedentary behavior levels, especially among children ages 9–13.  In fact, twice as many parents of children ages 9-13 versus children ages 5-8 reported their child had done much less physical activity in the past 7 days as compared to February.  The data suggest that children overwhelmingly spent their unstructured free time in April-May on sedentary behavior (e.g., watching television/videos/movies, playing computer or video games) instead of physical activity.  In order to avoid permanent changes in behavior extending beyond the duration of the COVID-19 closures, measures must be taken over the summer and fall of 2020 to promote home- and neighborhood-based physical activity during children’s leisure time. 

Dunton, G., Do, B. & Wang, S. (2020). Early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and sedentary behavior in children living in the U.S. BMC Public Health 20, 1351.