Covid-19 pandemic brings a sedentary lifestyle in young adults: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Chen Zheng; Wendy Y J Huang; Sinead Sheridan; Cindy Hui Ping Sit; Xiang Ke Chen; Stephen Heung Sang Wong

doi:10.3390/ijerph17176035

Covid-19 pandemic brings a sedentary lifestyle in young adults: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Chen Zheng
, Wendy Y J Huang
, Sinead Sheridan
, Cindy Hui Ping Sit
, Xiang Ke Chen
, Stephen Heung Sang Wong^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review

206 Citations (Scopus)

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.

Original language	English
Article number	6035
Pages (from-to)	1-11
Number of pages	11
Journal	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume	17
Issue number	17
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176035
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2020

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

User-Defined Keywords

COVID-19
Physical activity
Sedentary behavior
Sleep
Young adults

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10.3390/ijerph17176035

Cite this

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title = "Covid-19 pandemic brings a sedentary lifestyle in young adults: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study",

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.",

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note = "Funding Information: We would like to thank all participants for their efforts and participation in this study. We thank Zhang Xiaoyuan and Waris Wongpipit from the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong for their support during the data collection.",

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AU - Sheridan, Sinead

AU - Sit, Cindy Hui Ping

AU - Chen, Xiang Ke

AU - Wong, Stephen Heung Sang

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank all participants for their efforts and participation in this study. We thank Zhang Xiaoyuan and Waris Wongpipit from the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong for their support during the data collection.

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N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

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Covid-19 pandemic brings a sedentary lifestyle in young adults: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Abstract

UN SDGs

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