How Have Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior, Changed during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Swedish Repeated Cross-Sectional Design Study

BackgroundThis study aimed to determine the associations between different intensities of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the incidence of chronic diseases, and to assess the risk levels associated with these activities over time.MethodsA prospective cohort study (UK Biobank Activity Project) with data collected between June 2013 and December 2015 included 59,896 adults (mean age = 59.68; male = 38.03%) free from chronic diseases. Participants were categorized into tertiles based on their weekly MVPA: lowest (<224 min for males, <143 min for females), medium (224–444 min for males, 143–308 min for females), and highest (≥444 min for males, ≥308 min for females), stratified by gender. The mean onset of chronic disease symptoms occurred at 3.57 years, with participants followed up during this period. Wearable accelerometry data were used to quantify MVPA levels.FindingsLowest tertile of MVPA were significantly correlated with increased risks of chronic disease (24%–110% increased risk) based on odds ratios (ORs), with dose-response relationship observed. In males with the lowest tertile of MVPA, significant associations were identified with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (OR = 1.90; CI: 1.44–2.51), neurodegenerative disease (OR = 1.80; CI: 1.19–2.71), metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.34; CI: 1.18–1.53), hypertension (OR = 1.27; CI: 1.12–1.44), and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) (OR = 1.24; CI: 1.03–1.49). In females, the lowest tertile of MVPA levels were associated with increased risks of neurodegenerative disease (OR = 2.10; CI: 1.36–3.24), T2DM (OR = 1.88; CI: 1.37–2.58), cerebrovascular disease (OR = 1.61; CI: 1.12–2.29), ASCVD (OR = 1.58; CI: 1.23–2.03), metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.49; CI: 1.32–1.69), and hypertension (OR = 1.44; CI: 1.29–1.61). Longitudinally, the lowest tertile of MVPA in males showed elevated risks for neurodegenerative disease (HR = 2.13; CI: 1.24–3.66), T2DM (HR = 1.83; CI: 1.30–2.57), hypertension (HR = 1.33; CI: 1.15–1.53), metabolic syndrome (HR = 1.32; CI: 1.14–1.54), and ASCVD (HR = 1.29; CI: 1.03–1.61). In females, the lowest tertile of MVPA was associated with similar risks for ASCVD (HR = 1.59; CI: 1.16–2.20), T2DM (HR = 1.57; CI: 1.08–2.29), hypertension (HR = 1.53; CI: 1.34–1.74), and metabolic syndrome (HR = 1.50; CI: 1.29–1.73).ConclusionUsing wearable accelerometry data, this study demonstrated the quantifiable risks of chronic diseases and their development, highlighting the importance of MVPA.

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Prevalence and Determinants of Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Swedish Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Kerstis,

Elvén,

Nilsson

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) changed during the COVID-19 pandemic; hence, this study examined PA and SB at four time points between December 2019 and December 2022. The participants’ PA decreased during the pandemic and did not recover afterwards. Among women, PA increased slightly in 2022 but not at all in men. From 2019 to 2020, SB increased and then decreased to near the pre-pandemic level in both sexes. Regarding age, PA decreased in the oldest age group (65–79 years) across all time points, while SB increased in all age groups during 2019–2020 and then returned close to pre-pandemic levels among the two middle age groups (30–64 years), but not among the youngest and oldest groups. Considering occupation, PA decreased from 2020 to December 2022 among retired and “other” participants, while SB decreased among nonmanual workers and retired participants. The regression models associated better self-reported health, male sex, and those born overseas with higher PA. Higher age, better self-reported health, poor education, and later survey time points were associated with lower SB. These findings highlight the need to return PA and SB to at least pre-pandemic levels and that subgroups may need different interventions.

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How Have Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior, Changed during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Swedish Repeated Cross-Sectional Design Study

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Decrease in accelerometer assessed physical activity during the first-year post-myocardial infarction: a prospective cohort study

Decrease in accelerometer assessed physical activity during the first-year post-myocardial infarction: a prospective cohort study

Association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and chronic disease risk in adults and elderly: insights from the UK Biobank study

Prevalence and Determinants of Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Swedish Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

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