Prospective Analysis of Levels and Correlates of Physical Activity during COVID-19 Pandemic and Imposed Rules of Social Distancing; Gender Specific Study among Adolescents from Southern Croatia

Abstract

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global authorities have imposed rules of social distancing that directly influence overall physical activity in populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trends of changes in physical-activity levels (PALs) in adolescents and factors that may be associated with PALs among the studied boys and girls. Methods: Participants in this prospective study comprised 388 adolescents (126 females; mean age: 16.4 ± 1.9 years) from southern Croatia who were tested at a baseline (before the imposed rules of social distancing) and at a follow-up measurement (three weeks after the initiation). Baseline testing included anthropometric variables, variables of fitness status (done at the beginning of the school year), and PALs. At the follow-up, participants were tested on PALs. PALs were evaluated over an online platform using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents. Results: A significant decrease of PALs was evidenced for the total sample (t-test = 3.46, p < 0.001), which was primarily influenced by a significant decrease of PALs in boys (t-test = 5.15, p < 0.001). The fitness status (jumping capacity, abdominal strength, aerobic endurance, and anaerobic endurance) was systematically positively correlated with PALs at the baseline and follow-up among boys and girls, with the most evident association between aerobic and anaerobic endurance capacities and PALs. Correlations between anthropometric and fitness variables with changes in physical activity (e.g., the difference between baseline and follow-up PALs) were negligible. Conclusions: Differences in PAL changes between genders were probably related to the fact that PALs among boys were mostly related to participation in organized sports. Correlations between baseline fitness status and PALs indicated the importance of overall physical literacy in preserving PALs in challenging circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic observed here.

Factors associated with physical activity levels in late adolescence: a prospective study

“…The results of this study showed a significant decrease in PAL at the age of 16-18 years, and this is in accordance with recent studies where such trends were evidenced on the national level. In brief, Stefan et al [18] evidenced a PAL decrease in adolescents from the Croatian capital city, Zagreb, between the first and second grade of high school, and this is in accordance with recent investigation done with somewhat older adolescents from southern regions of the country [3]. Although in this study there were some numerical differences between the sexes (a somewhat larger decrease in PAL among boys), the negative trends in PAL observed in the study are supportive of previous reports where authors observed similar negative trends in PAL globally.…”

“…Although the differences between sexes were not the direct study aim, the fact that boys had higher PAL than girls deserves attention. Generally, studies consistently reported higher PAL among adolescent boys [3,6]. Such differences are particularly evident in late adolescence and this is mostly explained by the fact that boys are more involved in organized sports than girls.…”

“…Apart from being related to the development of obesity, a low physical activity level (PAL) is known to be connected to various non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and some types of cancer [2]. Although most of the negative health effects connected with low PAL develop later in life, lifelong patterns related to health behavior are established during childhood and adolescence [3]. Therefore, the promotion of reaching an appropriate PAL should begin at an early age [4].…”

Do the benefits of exercise in indoor and outdoor environments during the COVID-19 pandemic outweigh the risks of infection?

“…Although research on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical inactivity is at an initial stage [ 7 ], it is expected that people in quarantine at home could increase their sedentary behaviour through more screen time, characterized by the time watching television, using mobile devices, and playing games, thereby reducing physical activity levels. Physical inactivity is a huge public health issue and approximately one in three adults and four in five adolescents, worldwide, do not achieve the recommended quantity and quality of physical activity [ 8 – 10 ], and this issue can be potentiated as a function of COVID-19.…”

Impact of Covid-19 on the Physical Activity and Well-Being of Hungarian Athletes and Sports Professionals

“…According to physical activity by gender during quarantine, Cortis et al shows that women (6.0±3.9 hours per week) exercise far less than men (8.3±4.4 hours per week) [18], whilst Sekulic et al shows that physical activity of boys in South Croatia decreased more than girls [19]. These results are very different than what we observed in the Hungarian sport sector, where females decreased their physical activity significantly more than males did, and therefore the similar amount of physical activity before the pandemic changed in such a way that females became less physically active than males.…”