Determinants of physical activity maintenance during the Covid-19 pandemic: a focus on fitness apps

Abstract

There are various health benefits of regular physical activity (PA) and health risks of sedentariness. The Covid-19 pandemic may have decreased PA and increased sedentariness for several reasons (e.g., closure of gyms, family-related time constraints, and reduced outdoor mobility). Yet, to date, there are no longitudinal studies that examined whether the pandemic affects PA levels and what factors help people remain physically active during lockdown. This study aims to investigate changes in U.S. residents’ PA during (vs. before) the Covid-19 pandemic and predictors of changes, with a focus on PA smartphone applications (apps) and their features (i.e., motivational, educational, or gamification related). The study utilized a two-wave longitudinal survey design with an online panel. Healthy adults (N = 431) from 45 U.S. states self-reported their PA levels before and during lockdown. PA app use and app feature ratings were assessed. t-tests and regression analyses were conducted. Moderate PA, vigorous PA, and PA measured in metabolic equivalent of task (MET) minutes per week decreased during lockdown (all p < .01). Controlling for PA before lockdown and individuals’ PA intentions, PA app use was positively related to overall change in PA, measured in MET minutes per week (β = 15.68, standard error = 7.84, p < .05). PA decreased less with increasing app use frequency. When app features were added to the model, a buffering effect for gamification features was identified. The Covid-19-caused lockdown decreased U.S. residents’ PA levels by 18.2%. The use of PA apps may help buffer the decline, and gamification-related app features may be particularly helpful in this context.

Influence of Officially Ordered Restrictions during the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Patients after Kidney Transplantation in a Telemedicine Based Aftercare Program—A KTx360° Sub Study

“…Furthermore, wearables including a daily step counter seemed to be of great use for the determination of individual activity goals. This is in accordance with a recently published study which stated that the use of smartphone apps can improve PA in individuals during a lockdown [17].…”

“…As stated previously by others, PA was significantly influenced by COVID-19 pandemic associated lockdown measures [14][15][16][17][18]. The multidisciplinary, multimodal, and telemedicine-based KTx360 • program approach might have led to the observed stabilization and even an increase in PA in the KTx360 • participants during the lockdown.…”

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

“…Digital based PA yielded favourable results during the first COVID-19 lockdown, with studies showing positive associations with such digital based initiatives and overall PA during a lockdown. 83 Another finding of this review was that participants who had medical conditions also yielded decreases in PA levels, except for patients with an eating disorder. The decreases in PA is particularly concerning as in several of the medical conditions studied because PA can be a form of treatment or symptom alleviation.…”

COVID-19 lockdown and lifestyles: A narrative review

“…The number of minutes per day spent on physical activity decreased by 33.5% while sitting time increased by 5-8 hours among the respondents 47 . Diminished physical activity levels were also reported in other countries, such as Australia 48 , United Kingdom (UK) 49 , and the United States (US) 50,51 . Longitudinal tracking of steps among participants in a physical activity program in Australia saw a decrease in the number of steps during lockdown, which returned to normal with the lifting of restrictions 52 .…”

“…There is no predictable pattern as to who was less active during the lockdown period. While some studies found that previously physically active individuals became less active during the lockdown period 51,54 , other studies found no change 50 or reported a further reduction in physical activity among previously inactive individuals 54 . A cross-sectional study in 64 cities in China, with 369 participants, concluded that previously physically active individuals were in greater distress as a consequence of the lockdown 55 .…”