Changes in adult leisure-time physical activity during and after COVID-19 restrictions in Colorado Springs, Colorado

The public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed leisure-time physical activity (PA) behaviour, as many 'Stay-at-Home' policies mandated closure of indoor recreational facilities. This study examined changes in adult leisure-time PA in more and less active groups during...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLeisure studies Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 692 - 702
Main Authors Odell, Nicole E., Whitney, Paige, Lee, Joey A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 03.07.2024
Subjects
coronavirus
Health behaviours
leisure activity
physical activity
public health
Stay-at-home restrictions
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Summary:The public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed leisure-time physical activity (PA) behaviour, as many 'Stay-at-Home' policies mandated closure of indoor recreational facilities. This study examined changes in adult leisure-time PA in more and less active groups during and after COVID-19 restrictions in a relatively active region where outdoor PA was not limited. Self-reported data on walking, moderate, and vigorous PA before, during, and after restrictions were collected via a retrospective internet survey with convenience and snowball sampling. Respondents (N = 183) were categorised as either meeting (n = 129) or not meeting (n = 54) the national recommendation of 150 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic PA (MVPA) during the period before restrictions. Minutes of walking, MVPA, and total PA were compared across groups and periods with two-way repeated-measure ANOVAs. Those who met PA guidelines decreased MVPA by 51.0 minutes/week during restrictions compared to before. Those not meeting PA guidelines increased total PA by 88.1 minutes/week during restrictions. This study highlights a need to better understand interactions between built environment and social cognitive factors related to leisure-time PA, which may help inform future PA interventions.
ISSN:0261-4367
1466-4496
DOI:10.1080/02614367.2023.2249253