Influences of Family and Household Characteristics on Children’s Level of Physical Activity During Social Distancing Due to Covid-19 in Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate if the variables child’s sex, age, presence of siblings, parents working remotely, and external space affect the level of physical activity (PA) of Brazilian children during social distancing imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online questionnaire was applied by the LimeSurvey software from March to April 2020. Children were divided into four age groups, and the questionnaire comprised questions on family and household characteristics, domestic and children’s routines in the period of Brazilian social distancing. Based on the answers concerning children’s activities, the following variable was created: percentage of physical activity (%PA) in one-day period. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were performed to investigate the effect of demographic and parental activities on %PA. Results: The %PA decreases with increasing age, but increases with the availability of external space at home. No significant or interaction effects were observed for other variables. Age and external space at home are predictors of %PA. Conclusions: Household and personal characteristics of Brazilian children influence the level of physical activity performed by them during social distancing. Preventive measures can be adopted in the face of another similar period.

Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the movement behaviors of children and youth: A scoping review of evidence after the first year

“… 99 The remaining studies relied on nonvalidated measures of PA through self-reported questionnaires constructed by the researchers. These questionnaires quantified PA behaviors using several approaches, including subjective reporting of changes, 72 , 78 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 daily duration of PA, 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 days per week with at least 60 min of MVPA, 71 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 or frequency of weekly PA, 125 weekly PA duration, 76 , 77 , 118 , 126 outdoor activity, 78 , 116 , 119 , 127 ±3 h of PA per week, 128 , 129 percentage of time spent in PA, 130 , 131 or other means, as detailed in the list of included studies in Supplementary File 5. We identified 3 secondary data analyses.…”

Physical Activity of Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Scoping Review

“…Individual factors increasing physical activity of children were being male [ 35 , 36 , 37 ], following a daily routine [ 27 , 38 ], spending time on outdoor physical activity [ 35 , 38 ], taking part in online PE classes [ 27 , 38 , 39 ], more time available [ 40 ], no school [ 40 ], use of digital platforms [ 41 ], prior fitness status [ 28 , 42 , 43 , 44 ], and health-related quality of life [ 44 ]. Context-specific factors, i.e., factors relating to the family context, were having more than one child at home [ 29 , 33 , 45 ], higher parental education [ 36 ], perceived parental capability [ 35 ], living in a house [ 46 ], low dwelling density [ 46 ], access to parks [ 46 ], parental encouragement and support [ 27 , 47 , 48 ], parental engagement in physical activity [ 47 ], family dog ownership [ 47 ], household income [ 47 , 48 ], family coexistence [ 49 ], and access and size of outdoor space available [ 45 , 48 , 50 , 51 ] (see Table 2 ).…”

“…These constraining factors were also individual or context-specific. Individual constraining factors included the child’s age [ 20 , 37 , 45 , 50 , 52 , 53 ], feelings of stress [ 54 , 55 ], feeling comfortable at home [ 55 ], having a migration background [ 34 ], lower socioeconomic status (SES) [ 29 ], change to routines [ 27 ], pre-COVID sedentary time [ 44 ], pre-COVID activity levels [ 51 ], and mood states [ 56 ]. Context-related constraints included the caregiver’s level of education [ 32 , 33 , 34 ], living in an apartment [ 33 ], parent’s age [ 47 ], parent’s marital status [ 20 ], lack of playmates [ 57 ], family conflict [ 36 , 58 ], no outdoor space available [ 55 ], level of parents’ stress [ 49 ], lack of supervision [ 57 ], proximity to major roads [ 46 ], restrictions from COVID-19 [ 40 , 48 ], club training cancellation [ 40 ], enrolment in an early education center [ 33 ], and urban environment [ 51 , 59 ] (see Table 3 ).…”

Estimating the Impact of the Pandemic on Children's Physical Health: A Scoping Review

“…We found a significant difference in the PA types involved according to different age groups: younger children (3‐8 years) were interested in free play activities in the home and outdoors, while the older children (9‐12 years) took part in organized sports and fitness activities. Gender : Lower PA or increased SB were associated with gender and age differences during the ongoing pandemic 8 . The majority of the included studies showed a significant reduction in PA and increased SB in both genders during the pandemic, similar to pre‐pandemic 8,28 . The similarity in PA practice for both genders could be due to the fact that most activities are likely to be low intensity and due to the lack of opportunities for competitive sports events, outdoor play activities, and reduce utilization of sports facilities due to school closing and community restrictions. Psychological factors : PA and SB in children were predominantly associated with internalizing (loneliness, social withdrawal, shyness, depression, fear, and feeling of inferiority) and externalizing behaviors (social withdrawal, loneliness, feeling of inferiority, depression, shyness, fear, and so on) 16 .…”

“… Location/house spacing : Doing PA at home or in the garage, on sidewalks and streets, increased in children during confinement 19 . A moderate increase in PA was noted when space outside the home was larger than 12 m 2 19,28 . Conversely, PA practices of children in rural areas increased marginally compared to the children of the urban area due to access to green spaces, sufficient house spacing, and little parental attention 8,27 .…”