Changes in Physical Fitness during COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown among Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The negative impact of COVID-19 on physical activity has been improved, while the research on changes in physical fitness that may be caused by physical inactivity is still scarce. This study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on physical fitness, and the impact of initial physical fitness indicators on their changes during the lockdown in adolescents. A longitudinal study including 265 adolescents aged 14.1 ± 0.4 years old was conducted in China. Physical fitness measurement at baseline and follow-up were respectively measured before (November 2019) and after the lockdown (July 2020). Several physical fitness indicators including aerobic fitness (i.e., 800-m or 1000-m run) and explosive force (i.e., 50-m sprint) deteriorated during the lockdown. Whereas the performances of vital capacity, flexibility (i.e., sit and reach), and muscular strength (i.e., pull-ups) were significantly improved during the lockdown. Furthermore, the reduction in physical fitness for adolescents with higher physical fitness before the lockdown was greater than that for others. These findings may contribute to the development of targeted intervention strategies for physical fitness promotion during the lockdown caused by the public health emergency.

Trends in Physical Fitness and Nutritional Status among School-Aged Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Shaanxi, China—A Cross-Sectional Study

“…To the same, the performance of flexibility fitness (sit and reach) and vital capacity also increased during the pandemic lockdown. These results were not only found in our study [ 18 , 19 ]. The limited exercise space at home may contribute to fewer exercise patterns to choose from while stretching and resistance training were convenient to proceed with.…”

“…Theis et al found that the physical fitness and mental of adolescents with intellectual disabilities decreased significantly from 2019 to July 2020 [ 17 ]. Zhou et al selected 265 adolescents in China and found that their aerobic fitness and speed (explosive force) deteriorated from February 2020 to July 2020 [ 18 ]. Sunda et al observed 48 students who lived normally and 66 students who suffered from the pandemic lockdown in Croatia.…”

“…Some studies examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ physical fitness and nutritional status [ 18 , 25 ]. However, to our knowledge, there is little work that has investigated the trends in a large population-based cohort of students from 6 to 24 years old before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Change in BMI and Fitness among Primary School Children in Austria: A 24-Month Follow-Up Study of 303 Children Measured before and during the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

“…There are already a large number of studies reporting body mass index changes in children and adolescents [ 16 , 19 , 20 , 21 ] but only a few reports on the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on endurance, strength, and speed [ 15 , 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Furthermore, to date, no study has reported the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on BMI or various fitness parameters over a 2-year observation period.…”

Physical Fitness of Chinese Primary School Students across the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: A Retrospective Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

“…Nevertheless, some studies demonstrated that physical fitness could be maintained via home-based individual physical training, despite increases in body fat [40]. In China, a study conducted in Fujian Province found that the aerobic fitness of students deteriorated after lockdown but vital capacity, flexibility, and muscular strength improved [41]. The authors suspected that the peculiar finding was confounded by physical growth with age [41], which was confirmed in our study, where age, gender, and BMI were significant confounding factors.…”