ArticleThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2021
How COVID-19 lockdown and reopening affected daily steps: evidence based on 164,630 person-days of prospectively collected data from Shanghai, China.
Article in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The COVID-19 Pandemic and Daily Steps in the General Population: Meta-analysis of Observational Studies.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2023Pooled it
- Changes in Physical Activity Patterns Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Does a walking intervention work equally in low and high walkable areas? A large-scale incentive program in Japan.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Article
- Effects of team- and individual-based financial incentives on physical activity: a prospective, nonrandomized intervention using the WeChat platform.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Bidirectional association of daily steps with sarcopenia: a longitudinal study.Annals of medicine · 2025Article
- Increased prevalence of cardio-cerebrovascular risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: a large, single center, cross-sectional study.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- Physical Activity and Neurocognitive Symptoms in Older Adults During COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025Article
- Effects of group communication norms on daily steps in a team-based financial incentive mobile phone intervention in Shanghai, China.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- A path to resilience and social integration: motivations of international student volunteers during the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Physical Fitness Index and body mass index: A cross-sectional study based on 1.3 million college students.PloS one · 2025Article
- The Role of Daily Steps in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial of a 6-Month Internet-Based, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention for Youth.Interactive journal of medical research · 2023Article
- COVID-19 and campus users: A longitudinal and place-based study of university mobilities in Texas.Sustainable cities and society · 2023Article
- A prospective study of the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on activities and mobility upon physical activity, travel behaviour and attitudes.Journal of transport & health · 2023Article
- National Trends in Physical Activity Among Adults in South Korea Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2009-2021.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Observational
- COVID-19 pandemic and hypertension: an updated report from the Japanese Society of Hypertension project team on COVID-19.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2023Review
- COVID-19 impacts on non-work travel patterns: A place-based investigation using smartphone mobility data.Environment and planning. B, urban analytics and city science · 2023Article
- Multi-Component Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Japanese Office Workers: A Single-Arm Feasibility Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Quantifying the impact of pandemic lockdown policies on global port calls.Transportation research. Part A, Policy and practice · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCOVID-19 lockdowns may lead to physical inactivity, a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. This study aims to determine: 1) the trajectory in daily step counts before, during and after the lockdown in China, and 2) the characteristics associated with the trajectories.
methodsFrom December 2019 to July 2020, smartphone-based step counts were continuously collected in 815 Chinese adults residing in Shanghai over 202 days across three phases: before, during, and after the lockdown. Participant characteristics were reported, and height, weight and body composition measured before the lockdown. A 'sharp' regression discontinuity design with cluster robust standard errors was used to test the effect of the lockdown and reopening on daily steps and a linear mixed model was used to examine the characteristics associated with trajectories during the observed period.
resultsBased on 164,630 person-days of data, we found a sharp decline in daily step counts upon the lockdown (24/01/2020) by an average of 3796 (SE = 88) steps, followed by a significant trend of increase by 34 steps/day (SE = 2.5; p < .001) until the end of the lockdown (22/03/2020). This increasing trend continued into the reopening phase at a slower rate of 5 steps per day (SE = 2.3; p = 0.029). Those who were older, married, university educated, insufficiently active, had an 'at risk' body composition, and those in the control group, were slower at recovering step counts during the lockdown, and those who were older, married, without university education and with an 'at risk' body composition recovered step counts at a slower pace after the reopening.
conclusionsDespite later increases in step counts, COVID-19 lockdown led to a sustained period of reduced physical activity, which may have adverse health implications. Governments and health professionals around the world should continue to encourage and facilitate physical activity during the pandemic.
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