The effect of two COVID-19 lockdowns on physical activity of school-age children

Abstract

The introduction of strict quarantine restrictions in many countries initiated a direction in science to study the behavioral characteristics of children and adolescents during the social isolation at the population level. We present our observations during the two lockdowns in Ukraine. The objective of this study was to determine: a) the level of light (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity among school-age children, and b) the impact of the external and internal factors on their physical activity during the lockdown. Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) as part of our questionnaire Q-RAPH was used. Parents of 1091 children 6-18 years old (54% boys) filled Q-RAPH at two measurement points in 2020 and 2021. After performing ANCOVA and logistic regression, we found a significant decrease in MVPA by 12.7% in 2021 compared to 2020 (p ​< ​0.001) while LPA was about 1.5 ​h a day during both periods. The proportion of children who reach the recommended levels of MVPA also decreased by 13.7% in 2021 (p ​< ​0.001). Factors negatively affecting the achievement of 60 ​min a day of MVPA were female gender, chronic diseases, overweight/obesity, non-participation in organized sports, and a decrease in the average air temperature. This study evidences the insufficient level of preventive measures and requires an intensification of health education among the Ukrainian population. When developing preventive measures, special attention should be paid to groups vulnerable to MVPA reduction as children who have chronic diseases and/or overweight/obesity as well as non-participation in sports.

Keywords

Children / Adolescents / School-age / Physical activity / Lockdown / COVID-19

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Submission statement

This article has not been published previously and it is not under consideration for publication. This publication is approved by all authors and by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out. After accepted, this article will not be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Authors' contribution

This original study proposal was drafted by OY and SH. The data was collected by OY, AP, SH, NP, OL, ND. OY performed the statistical data analysis. This manuscript was written by OY and TS with the valued guidance of SH. All authors also contributed to the data analysis, formulation of the structure, and methods, as well as discussion.

Ethical approval statement

The survey was approved by the Bioethics Committee of the SI “O.M. Marzieiev Institute for Public Health” (protocol No 2, April 9, 2020). Participants received information about the objective of the survey, the confidentiality, the conditions of the use of data and the contact information of the principal investigator of the study. All of the participants read and signed informed consent.

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