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. 2020 Aug 19;17(17):6035.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17176035.

COVID-19 Pandemic Brings a Sedentary Lifestyle in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study

Chen Zheng  1 , Wendy Yajun Huang  2 , Sinead Sheridan  1 , Cindy Hui-Ping Sit  1 , Xiang-Ke Chen  3 , Stephen Heung-Sang Wong  1
Affiliations

COVID-19 Pandemic Brings a Sedentary Lifestyle in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study

Chen Zheng et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to pose profound challenges to society. Its spread has been mitigated through strategies including social distancing; however, this may result in the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle. This study aimed to investigate: (1) physical activity (PA) levels, sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep in young adults during the COVID-19 epidemic, and (2) the change in these behaviors before and during the pandemic. A total of 631 young adults (38.8% males) aged between 18 and 35 participated in the cross-sectional study and completed a one-off online survey relating to general information, PA, SB, and sleep. For the longitudinal study, PA, SB, and sleep data, obtained from 70 participants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, were analyzed. Participants engaged in low PA, high SB, and long sleep duration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, a significant decline in PA while an increase in time spent in both SB and sleep was observed during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results of this study demonstrated a sedentary lifestyle in young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will assist health policymakers and practitioners in the development of population specific health education and behavior interventions during this pandemic and for other future events.

Keywords: COVID-19; physical activity; sedentary behavior; sleep; young adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The changes in participants’ lifestyle behaviors. (A) Physical activity, (B) sedentary behavior and sleep duration, (C) sedentary behavior by types by activities. MPA: moderate physical activity; VPA: vigorous physical activity. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, compared with before.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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