Contextualizing Parental/Familial Influence on Physical Activity in Adolescents before and during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Analysis

Abstract

Parental and familial factors influence numerous aspects of adolescents’ lives, including their physical activity level (PAL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in PAL which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to evaluate influence of sociodemographic and parental/familial factors on PAL levels before and during pandemic in adolescents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample included 688 adolescents (15–18 years of age; 322 females) who were tested on two occasions: in January 2020 (baseline; before the COVID-19 pandemic) and in April 2020 (follow-up; during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown). Variables included PAL (measured by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents–PAQ-A) as well as sociodemographic-, parental-, and familial factors. A significant decline in PALs was recorded between baseline and follow-up (t-test: 11.88, p < 0.001). Approximately 50% of adolescents underwent sufficient PAL at baseline, while only 24% of them were achieving sufficient PAL at the time of follow-up measurement. Paternal education was positively correlated (OR (95%CI): baseline: 6.63 (4.58–9.96), follow-up: 3.33 (1.19–7.01)), while familial conflict was negatively correlated (baseline: 0.72 (0.57–0.90), follow-up: 0.77 (0.60–0.99)) with PALs before and during the pandemic. This study highlights the importance of the parent–child relationship and parental/familiar support in promoting physical activity both during regular life and during crises and health challenging situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on physical activity and sedentary behaviors in French children and adolescents: New results from the ONAPS national survey

“…Based on the current results, 42% of children and 58.7% of adolescents reported a decrease in PA during the lockdown, which was particularly pronounced among adolescents girls (59.7%). These results are in line with what has been observed in other countries such as Spain [ 13 , 14 ], Bosnia- Herzegovina [15] , Egypt [16] or Canada [10] , [11] , [12] among others. Gilic et al estimated that 50% of their Bosnian adolescents reached PA recommendations before the lockdown, dropping to only 24% during the lockdown [15] .…”

“…This survey also revealed an increase in screen time among the youngest children [10] , [11] , [12] and determined the parents' ability to restrict screen time as the major factor associated with this progression [11] . Similar results have been observed among 12-year-olds (n=113) [13] Spanish youth ages 3 to 16 years (n=860) [14] ; adolescents from Bosnia-Herzegovina (n=688, 15-18 years old) [15] , and youth from Egypt [16] . While Pombo et al obtained similar results regarding the effect of the lockdown of Portuguese children's PA level (n=2,159; mean age of 13 years), the authors also found that the access to a large outdoor area, having at least one parent who did not have to work from home, or sharing the house with other kids were strong positive predictors of PA during the lockdown [17] .…”

Changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: a systematic review

“…Of the six studies that examined PA changes in healthy children and adolescents, all were measured using subjective questionnaires, with half using validated questionnaires. Two studies 48 84 used total scores from validated questionnaires and two studies 65 82 reported PA changes in the form of a time measurement, all reporting decreases in PA. Two studies 62 71 reported PA changes as a percentage of the respective population and reported >50% of the population decreased their PA during lockdown.…”

Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Physical Activity Among the Chinese Youths: The COVID-19 Impact on Lifestyle Change Survey (COINLICS)

“…A small number of studies have examined the impacts of COVID-19 on PA and sedentary behavior. They consistently found that the COVID-19 had resulted in substantial and negative changes to physical activities and sedentary behaviors among children and adolescents ( 11 – 13 , 21 ) and in adults ( 22 – 25 ). Our findings add to the existent literature that this trend was also found in youth and that the impact brought by COVID-19 was not only immediate also lasted.…”