Physical Activity and Attitudes Toward Social Media Use of Active Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Social media became an integral part of the lives of people because it encourages social relations and shares interests, activities, and real-life connections. As quarantine and lockdown orders are prolonged, many people, as well as those physically active individuals, typically responded to this stressful condition by using social media platforms.Objective: This study aimed to examine the level of physical activity of physically active individuals and their attitudes toward social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among physically active individuals in Saudi Arabia between June 2020 and July 2020. An online survey was employed among eligible participants who completed a self-administered questionnaire that covered reasons for physical activity and attitudes toward social media platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Of these 323 participants, 29.1% were in the age group of 18–24 years, 66.6% were women, and 67.8% were single. The proportion of participants whose metabolic equivalent of tasks-min/week from vigorous activity <1,680 was 31.9%, and all of the participants follow people or pages in social media related to sports teams and fitness models. The average number of hours spent on social media per day was 2.95 ± 0.90 h. The majority of the participants showed positive attitudes toward social media used for exercise and physical activity. Of the eight variables, age, level of physical activity, and the average of hours spent on social media emerged as significant predictors of attitudes toward the use of social media (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The present survey results indicate adverse consequences of home quarantine as reflected by a small proportion of participants who had differences in levels of vigorous activities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Social media appears to be a key avenue to promote and disseminate health interventions to promote physical activity during this COVID-19 pandemic.

The Association between Gender and Physical Activity Was Partially Mediated by Social Network Size during COVID-19

“…The results of this study are consistent with other research supporting the use of media technologies, such as social media platforms, to encourage physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 50 , 51 ]. Our findings add new understanding on using online social networks (i.e., Facebook friends) to promote physical activity among women during a pandemic.…”

The role of social networks and mobile applications in physical activity during the COVID-19 epidemic in Serbia

“…Alfavaz et al (11) found in their study negative effects of self-isolation and quarantine on physical activity in adults, which can be explained by the difficulties of individuals having to change their routines that were previously acquired in fitness clubs and gyms. Positive attitudes were observed in our study regarding the use of social networks ie mobile applications when performing physical exercise, as well as in the study conducted in Saudi Arabia (12). Ease of availability and a review/ selection of exercises were the most common reasons for using social networks/mobile applications in 85.1% of the surveyed population, according to our results.…”

“…Despite the positive observations found in the study conducted in Saudi Arabia as well as the influence of social media presented by the Ammar and Kaur studies, the results showed a different aspect, The level of physical activity obtained when home exercising was not sufficient to meet the regular physical activity patterns that existed before self-isolation conditions (12)(13)(14). AlMarzooki's research (12) showcased a strong relation between the attitude towards using social networks and levels of physical activity obtained. In addition, the results identified age, level of physical activity and average hours spent on social media as a significant predictors of attitudes toward their use.…”

“…The influence of social networks/mobile applications on engaging in physical activity was the topic of research in the study of Ammar (13) et al, as well as Kaur et al (14). Despite the positive observations found in the study conducted in Saudi Arabia as well as the influence of social media presented by the Ammar and Kaur studies, the results showed a different aspect, The level of physical activity obtained when home exercising was not sufficient to meet the regular physical activity patterns that existed before self-isolation conditions (12)(13)(14). AlMarzooki's research (12) showcased a strong relation between the attitude towards using social networks and levels of physical activity obtained.…”

Association between body image perception with demographic characteristics of physically active individuals during COVID-19 lockdown in Saudi Arabia

“…The proposed levels of physical activity are [i] inactive (low), [ii] minimally active (moderate), and [iii] health-enhancing physical activity, or a high active category (IPAQ Research Committee, 2005). Furthermore, the level of physical activity was dichotomized into moderate activity, which has >1,680 MET-min/week, and vigorous activity, whose MET-min/week was < 1,680 ( 24 – 26 ). The association between body image and physical activity was examined using the chi-square test analysis.…”