When the world stops: The impact of COVID-19 on physical activity and physical literacy

Abstract

Matched pre-during pandemic comparison (160 children) revealed a substantial reduction in physical activity (p < 0.001, rrb=0.83), environmental participation (p = 0.046, rrb=0.16), movement valuation (p < 0.001, rrb=0.61), and parent perceptions of children’s physical literacy (p < 0.001, rrb=0.56,). Examining physical activity trajectories, higher pre-pandemic physical literacy protected children from pandemic related activity decline. Emerging from the pandemic, interventions should address children’s eroded belief in movement, and consider physical literacy levels of children in individualizing movement opportunities for restoration of activity levels.

Influencing Factors of Students Aged 10–20 Non-participating in Home Physical Exercise During the COVID-19 Isolation Policy Period: A Cross-Sectional Study From China

“…In this study, we observed that the longer the use of electronic products, the higher the risk of a lack of family physical exercise behavior in middle school students. This is consistent with the conclusions of some previous studies ( 28 , 43 ). Schmidt et al reported that during the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents' total amount of leisure screen time increased significantly, and physical activity decreased significantly.…”

“…And students of different ages have different incidences of not participating in home physical exercise, with the highest proportion of 16-year-old students. A previous study of Chinese adolescents showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of physically inactive students increased from 21.3 to 65.6% ( 28 ). The reason for this difference from our results may be their physical activity assessment tools (IPAQ–SF), which are different than those used in this research.…”

“…However, despite the government's advice through the public media to maintain a certain level of physical exercise during the isolation policy of the COVID-19 pandemic, such social distancing measures have greatly reduced opportunities for physical activity in the general population and the incidence of physical inactivity very high ( 27 , 28 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of Chinese stayed at home 20–24 h a day (84.7%) ( 13 ).…”

Development, explanation, and presentation of the Physical Literacy Interventions Reporting Template (PLIRT)

“…Studies should report the deliverer or provider of the intervention and state the topic-related expertise [ 49 ]. This item gains particular relevance in the PL context as differences in the effectiveness across different interventions may be attributed to differing understandings of the concept [ 78 ] and, therefore, to differing implicit intervention foci. Against this background, authors should clarify the disciplinary background (e.g., general pedagogy, physical education, psychology, licensed trainer, kinesiology, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, public health) and skills acquired.…”

Parents, Teachers, and Community: A Team Approach to Developing Physical Competence in Children

“…Furthermore, the quality of parental engagement is more impactful than the quantity of their involvement [25]. A survey found 88% of parents felt they had the greatest responsibility for the development of their child's physical literacy [26], which included physical competence. The school is also crucial, as children spend the majority of their time in this setting, and many school divisions have physical education mandates [27].…”