Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 6;24(1):1522.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19035-2.

The "supercompensation" effect of children's lockdown during COVID-19: based on the analysis of changes in physical activity, sleep, and psychology

Yunong Li  1 , Guanggao Zhao  2 , Liqiang Su  3 , Jinmei Fu  4 , Shunli Sun  4 , Ruiming Chen  1 , Delong Chen  1 , Xuewen Hu  1 , Tianle Jiang  1 , Fanchao Shen  1
Affiliations

The "supercompensation" effect of children's lockdown during COVID-19: based on the analysis of changes in physical activity, sleep, and psychology

Yunong Li et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the "supercompensation" effect of preschoolers during the coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown by comparing the changes in physical activity (PA), psychological, and sleep indicators before and after the lockdown.

Methods: A total of 127 children (aged 3-6 years) were recruited. Before and after the lockdown, the children's PA levels were measured using the ActiGraph GT3X+, and their psychological and sleep indicators were measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Child Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ), respectively.

Results: Regarding PA, the children's total physical activity, low-intensity physical activity, and medium-intensity physical activity (MVPA) were higher after the lockdown than before the lockdown, with significant differences in MVPA (p < 0.05). Regarding psychology, the children's SDQ and multidimensional scores were better after the lockdown than before the lockdown, with a significant difference in SDQ scores (p < 0.05). Regarding sleep, the children's CSHQ scores were better after the lockdown than before the lockdown, with a highly significant difference in CSHQ scores (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: After lockdown, children's PA, psychological, and sleep effects were "supercompensated." In particular, the PA of preschoolers before, during, and after the lockdown may show a "baseline-inhibition-supercompensation" process.

Keywords: Lockdown; Physical activity; Preschooler; Psychological; Sleep; Supercompensation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sankey diagram of preschoolers’ MVPA before and after lockdown
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sankey diagram of preschoolers’ SDQ score rates before and after lockdown
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Sankey diagram of preschoolers’ CSHQ score rates before and after lockdown
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The “supercompensation” of preschoolers’ physical activity before, during, and after lockdown
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Organization WH . Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Herd immunity, lockdowns and COVID-19 [R] 2020.
    1. National Health and Wellness Commission of the People's Republic of China . Circular ontheissuance of a general plan for the implementation of "Category B management" of novel voronavirus infection [Z] 2022.
    1. Chen X, Hong X, Gao W, et al. Causal relationship between physical activity, leisure sedentary behaviors and COVID-19 risk: a Mendelian randomization study. J Transl Med. 2022;20(1):216. doi: 10.1186/s12967-022-03407-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rossi L, Behme N, Breuer C. Physical activity of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic-A scoping review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(21):11440. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111440. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schmidt SCE, Anedda B, Burchartz A, et al. Physical activity and screen time of children and adolescents before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany: a natural experiment. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):21780. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-78438-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types