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. 2022 Dec 16;10(12):2553.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare10122553.

Physical Function of Japanese Preadolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sho Narahara  1 , Tadashi Ito  2   3 , Yuji Ito  4 , Hideshi Sugiura  3 , Koji Noritake  5 , Nobuhiko Ochi  1
Affiliations

Physical Function of Japanese Preadolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sho Narahara et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Children's exercise habits have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the physical function and physical activity of preadolescent children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study compared time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), grip strength, single-leg standing time, and two-step tests of healthy children aged 10 to 12 years, enrolled from January 2018 to January 2020 (pre-COVID-19 group, n = 177) and from January 2021 to September 2022 (during-COVID-19 group, n = 69). The during-COVID-19 group had weaker grip strength (median: 14.4 vs. 15.8 kg; p = 0.012), worse performance on the two-step test (mean: 1.56 vs. 1.60; p = 0.013), and less MVPA (median: 4 vs. 7 h per week; p = 0.004). Logistic regression showed that the during-COVID-19 group was significantly related to weaker grip strength (odds ratio: 0.904, 95% CI: 0.829-0.986; p = 0.022) and worse performance in the two-step test (odds ratio: 0.976, 95% CI: 0.955-0.997; p = 0.028). The COVID-19 pandemic decreased exercise opportunities for preadolescent children, which may have had a negative impact on muscle strength and balance. It is essential to increase the amount of MVPA among preadolescent children.

Keywords: COVID-19; child; exercise test; muscle strength; postural balance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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