Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Amid Confinement: The BKSQ-COVID-19 Project

• Main Authors: Alomari MA (Author), Khabour OF (Author), Alzoubi KH (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Dove Medical Press, 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1179-1594
• Keywords: physical activity; sedentary behavior; confinement; covid-19; pandemic.; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, Vol Volume 13, Pp 1757-1764 (2020)

Mahmoud A Alomari,1 Omar F Khabour,2 Karem H Alzoubi3 1Department of Physical Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; 2Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JordanCorrespondence: Mahmoud A Alomari Department of Physical EducationQatar University, Doha, QatarEmail [e-mail]: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has compelled implementing confinement measure across the globe. These measures can potentially lead to many changes in lifestyle. However, no studies examined the effect of COVID-19-induced confinement on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB).Methods: During April and May of 2020, the current study surveyed changes in PA and SB induced by COVID-19 confinement.Results: The participants of the study were 1844. Among the participants who were regularly involved in PA, the majority (41.8&ndash; 42.2%) of the participants reported a &ldquo;decrease&rdquo; (p< 0.05) in walking, jogging, and sports while the majority (46.3&ndash; 53.1%) reported a &ldquo;no change&rdquo; (p< 0.05) in swimming, cycling, and weight lifting. With regard to the SB, most of the participants reported an &ldquo;increase&rdquo; in watching TV (72.3%), using electronics (82.7%), and logging to social media (81.9%). Additionally, gender, job type, obesity, and being worried to contract the disease were associated (p< 0.05) with changes in PA. On the other hand, age, gender, obesity, job type and income were related (p< 0.05) to changes in SB.Conclusion: Results of the current study might enhance knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle, particularly PA and SB. Subsequently, it can also be used to establish strategies to enhance engagement in activities during the current and future pandemics.Keywords: physical activity, sedentary behavior, confinement, COVID-19, pandemic