Impact of Activity Monitoring on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Body Weight during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Decreases in individuals’ physical activity and increases in sedentary behavior and bodyweight have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study assessed the ability of physical activity monitoring, which may promote physical activity and discourage sedentary behavior, to mitigate these negative outcomes. An evaluation of university samples (N = 404, 40.5 ± 15.4 years) of self-reported physical activity, sedentary behavior, and bodyweight prior to the closure of campus due to the pandemic in March of 2020 and again at the time of the survey administration (May–June 2020) during pandemic-related restrictions was performed. Participants also reported whether they did (n = 172) or did not (n = 232) regularly use physical activity monitoring technology. While physical activity was unchanged during the pandemic (p ≥ 0.15), participants significantly increased sitting by 67.8 ± 156.6 min/day and gained 0.64 ± 3.5 kg from pre-campus to post-campus closure (p < 0.001). However, the use of activity monitoring did not moderate these changes. In conclusion, while physical activity was not affected, participants reported significant increases in sedentary behavior and bodyweight during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes occurred regardless of whether participants regularly used physical activity monitoring or not.

Use of Accelerometers to Track Changes in Stepping Behavior With the Introduction of the 2020 COVID Pandemic Restrictions: A Case Study

“…Previous studies have been conducted which investigate the influence of COVID-19 lockdowns on physical activity and behavioral changes using both subjective and objective means. Study findings among published work largely agree that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions posed a health risk due to behavioral changes resulting from altered routines (particularly for nonessential workers), reduced amount or intensity of physical activity, and increased bouts of sedentary behavior (Barkley et al, 2021;Kingsnorth et al, 2021). However, due to the nature of lockdown restrictions, such studies possess limitations associated with one or a combination of the following: reliance on self-reported measures, memory recall and candor (Buoite Stella et al, 2021); compliance (Fernández-García et al, 2021); representative demographics among participants (Kingsnorth et al, 2021;Stockwell et al, 2021); and population size; use of multiple device types and settings used to monitor activity levels (which introduced an array of measurement error due to heterogeneity; Buoite Stella et al, 2021;Germini et al, 2022).…”

Cell Phone Use, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Bodyweight During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Literature has shown changes associated with pandemic-related restrictions may have resulted in decreased physical activity, increased sedentary behavior, and increased bodyweight 6,26,27 . Our results support previous literature suggesting the pandemic-related restrictions may have had a negative impact on sedentary behavior and bodyweight 6,26,27 .…”

“…Literature has shown changes associated with pandemic-related restrictions may have resulted in decreased physical activity, increased sedentary behavior, and increased bodyweight 6,26,27 . Our results support previous literature suggesting the pandemic-related restrictions may have had a negative impact on sedentary behavior and bodyweight 6,26,27 . Presently, we report that regardless of cell phone use individuals experienced an overall increase in weekly reported sitting as well as an increase in reported bodyweight during the pandemic.…”

Tracking 30-Day Physical Activity Behavior with Wearable Fitness Trackers in College-Aged Adults

“…First, a larger sample of college-aged adults is needed to better identify if other factors can account for variations in physical activity behavior. Factors, such as age, weight status, athlete, non-athlete, exercise experience, and various levels of self-efficacy for physical activity and peer influence physical activity behavior 16,17,30 .…”

“…Interestingly, research also shows that college-aged adults tend to be extremely active or sedentary 15 . Not only are males more involved in physical activity but they tend to spend more time on electronics such as watching television and excessive seated cell phone activities as well 5,16,17 . It has been found that college-aged adults seem to be the most active for activities such as sports or other leisure physical activities 18 .…”