ArticleJMIR public health and surveillance2021
The Influence of Social Distancing Behaviors and Psychosocial Factors on Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study.
Article in JMIR public health and surveillance, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Physical Activity During Lockdowns Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-analysis of 173 Studies with 320,636 Participants.Sports medicine - open · 2022Pooled it
- Impact of Physical Activity on Health Behavior Change and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Epidemic Among Chinese Adults: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- The 100-Days: Physical Exercise and Challenges to Assess, Maintain and Improve Physical Fitness During Lockdown.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Relationship between physical exercise and COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2): systematic review.Sport sciences for health · 2023Review
- Factors associated with meeting physical activity guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2022Article
- A worldwide epidemiological database for COVID-19 at fine-grained spatial resolution.Scientific data · 2022Article
- The longitudinal associations of physical activity, time spent outdoors in nature and symptoms of depression and anxiety during COVID-19 quarantine and social distancing in the United States.Preventive medicine · 2022Article
- Relationship between Objectively and Subjectively Measured Physical Activity in Adolescents during and after COVID-19 Restrictions.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has arguably facilitated a shift toward increased sedentariness and reduced physical activity. Moreover, there is mounting evidence that mental health has also declined during the pandemic. However, it remains unknown to what extent social distancing (SD) behaviors and mental health have affected the physical activity levels of the general population.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the influence of SD behaviors and prevailing mental health on the odds of being physically active during the early COVID-19 pandemic response.
methodsA total of 4819 adults (2474/4819, 51.3%, female) from the US population with a median age of 46 (IQR 35-59) completed an online survey during the early pandemic response (April-June 2020). The survey included questions on adherence to 11 SD behaviors, and validated questionnaires which assessed self-reported physical activity, depression, anxiety, and mental well-being. Respondents were categorized into 2 physical activity groups: inactive (0-599 metabolic equivalent of task [MET]-minutes/week) and active (≥600 MET-minutes/week). A logistic generalized additive model (GAM) was used to determine which SD factors and mental health outcomes were associated with physical activity level.
resultsThe GAM analysis revealed that wearing a facemask in public (odds ratio [OR] 1.46, 95% CI 1.14-1.79; P=.003), limiting the use of public transport (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.19-1.83; P=.001), and restricting travel outside the house (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.19-2.05; P=.002) were SD behaviors associated with higher odds of being more physically active. Conversely, avoiding physical activity outside the house was associated with higher odds of being inactive (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.46-0.63; P<.001). Leaving the house more frequently, and a higher mental well-being were associated with increasing odds of being physically active (P<.001). Engaging with a moderate number of SD behaviors (3-7 total) was positively associated with physical activity, whereas a very high SD vigilance (ie, engaging with ≥10 total behaviors) decreased the odds of being active during the early pandemic response.
conclusionsBased on the findings of our study, we suggest that future public health messaging of SD guidelines should include (1) a clear portrayal of the benefits of regular exercise on mental health; and (2) a specific focus on how to be physically active outdoors in a COVID-safe manner.
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