Children and parents’ perspectives of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ontario children’s physical activity, play, and sport behaviours

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures have resulted in the closure of many physical activity-supporting facilities. This study examined Ontario parents’ and children’s perspectives of COVID-19’s impact on children’s physical activity behaviours, return to play/sport during COVID-19, as well as barriers/facilitators to getting active amid extended closures of physical activity venues. Methods Parents/guardians of children aged 12 years and under living in Ontario, Canada were invited to participate in an interview. 12 parent/guardian and 9 child interviews were conducted via Zoom between December 2020 – January 2021, were audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was undertaken to identify pronounced themes. Results Themes for both parent and child interviews fell into one of three categories: 1) barriers and facilitators for getting children active amid COVID-19 closures of physical activity-supporting facilities; 2) changes in children’s activity levels; and, 3) perspectives on return to play/sport during and post-pandemic. Various subthemes were identified and varied between parents and children. The most common facilitator for dealing with children’s inactivity voiced by parents/guardians was getting active outdoors. Parents/guardians noted their willingness to have their children return to play/sport in the community once deemed safe by public health guidelines, and children’s willingness to return stemmed primarily from missing their friends and other important authority figures (e.g., coaches) and sporting events (e.g., tournaments). Conclusions Findings from this study could inform families of feasible and realistic strategies for increasing children’s physical activity during community closures, while also providing public health experts with information regarding what supports, or infrastructure might be needed during future lockdown periods and/or pandemics.

A multi-perspective qualitative exploration of the reasons for changes in the physical activity among 10–11-year-old children following the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK in 2021

“…Lockdowns, school closures, and travel limitations confined children to their homes for large periods of the day, limiting the area in which children were able to access facilities and significantly increased time spent with, and responsibilities of the parent. The notion of lockdown novelty, described in Theme 1 above, was also evidenced within other qualitative studies that were conducted in Canada and the USA, such as enjoying the increased opportunity to spend time with family in earlier stages of the pandemic [ 25 ] and subsequent tedium towards late 2020 [ 27 , 28 ]. This is perhaps indicative of a cross-cultural response to extensive and prolonged COVID-19 restrictions.…”

“…Although conducted in diverse settings and contexts, international qualitative research reflected many themes described in the current study. Appropriate outdoor and indoor space, access to equipment, and parental support have been identified as facilitators of physical activity during the pandemic and related restrictions [ 24 – 27 ], a finding echoed in a number of quantitative studies [ 13 ]. It is important to note that parental influences [ 29 , 30 ] and access to facilities [ 30 , 31 ] have been shown to influence physical activity behaviour among children prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…The importance of social influences in physical among children has been well documented in pre-pandemic research [ 30 , 32 , 33 ]. Loss of social connections among children during periods of lockdown and isolation and its impact on wellbeing and physical activity has emerged in recent qualitative research [ 27 , 28 ]. Results from the current study reflect a loss of social connection and suggest that, in the UK, social disconnection among children continued until September 2021 due to ongoing restrictions, such as reduced active club provision and school-level restrictions.…”

The Recover Study: A Cross-Sectional Examination of the Relationship Between Ontario Parents’ Resilience and COVID-19-Related Stressors

“…Stemming from the cancelation of extracurriculars and social events, 71% of parents were concerned regarding socialization opportunities for their children, while 54% were concerned about their children's social isolation ( Statistics Canada, 2020 ). Similarly, Szpunar et al (2021) studied parents ( n = 12; 91.7% female) and children ( n = 9; M age = 7.33) living in Ontario, with a specific focus on their physical activity and sport-related behaviors during the pandemic. Via semi-structured interviews, children noted challenges with being unable to see friends at extracurriculars as well as the closure of outdoor spaces and activity facilities ( Szpunar et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Similarly, Szpunar et al (2021) studied parents ( n = 12; 91.7% female) and children ( n = 9; M age = 7.33) living in Ontario, with a specific focus on their physical activity and sport-related behaviors during the pandemic. Via semi-structured interviews, children noted challenges with being unable to see friends at extracurriculars as well as the closure of outdoor spaces and activity facilities ( Szpunar et al, 2021 ). With the uncertainty surrounding the current pandemic mixed with the possibility of future ones, it seems imperative that public health plans to keep citizens safe also include creative programing for safe extracurricular activities to help support children's and parents’ resilience (e.g., ensuring all programing is supported such that every child and parent engaging in extracurriculars can be provided with high-quality masks immediately and at no cost, whenever required).…”