This time, I would like to talk about the amount of physical activity during the period of self-restraint.
Have you experienced a decrease in your physical activity due to the restrictions on going out due to the declaration of a state of emergency caused by the spread of COVID-19?
In the media, words such as "less exercise due to more time spent at home" and "corona weight gain" have become popular, giving the impression that many people have decreased their physical activity due to the voluntary restraint.
What does this actually mean? But there is a study in Switzerland that has done some research on this.The situation is different in different countries, but at least in some countries the restrictions on self-restraint are tighter than in Japan.
Please look at the results of this study with that in mind.
Contents of the study
The lockdown caused by the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 infection may have interrupted normal daily life and increased sedentary behavior.
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the level of physical activity among Swiss office workers.
It included office workers from two Swiss organizations, aged 18 to 65 years.
Baseline data from January 2020, prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, were compared with follow-up data from the blockade phase in April 2020.
Levels of physical activity were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.Corresponding sample t-tests or Wilcoxon signed rank tests were performed for statistical analysis.
Data from 76 participants were analyzed.
Fifty-four participants were female.
The mean age at baseline was 42.7 years (range 21.8 to 62.7).
Approximately 75% of the participants met the recommendations for minimal physical activity both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic blockade.
We found weak statistical evidence for a decrease in total physical activity of the metabolic equivalent of task minutes per week (MET minutes/week).
Evidence of decreases in three types of activity
Walking (estimate = -189, 95% CI -∞ to 100, p-value = 0.28)
Moderate intensity activity (estimated = -200, 95% CI -∞ to 30, p-value = 0.22)
Vigorous-intensity activity (estimate = 80, 95% CI from -∞ to 460, p-value = 0.74)
Across the three categories of physical activity, "high," "medium," and "low," 17% of participants lost activity during the lockdown and 29% increased activity.
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic did not lead to a decrease in the total physical activity level of the sample of Swiss office workers during the first weeks of the blockade.
Improved work-life balance and working hours may have contributed to this finding.
Commentary
The conclusion of this study was that the impact of the physical activity that occurred during the lockdown caused by the pandemic was that about 17% of the people had a decrease in activity.
The variables in this result are
Difficulty in going out due to season
Change in work schedule
Degree of restrictions on going out (e.g., restrictions on shopping)
The degree of restrictions on going out (e.g., entrance restrictions for shopping) ・Closure of sports facilities due to holidays
The results of the survey were based on the following factors.
In addition, those who decreased their activity were exercising regularly at sports clubs or sports organizations, and their activity decreased due to the suspension of these activities.
For those who have such habits, it can be said that they have decreased their activity due to this voluntary restraint. For those who have such habits, it may be possible to say that they have decreased their activity, but for those who do not, it is unclear how much their activity has decreased.
However, one of the interesting points raised in the study was that according to a survey conducted in another country on the same topic, 33% of people who were not in the habit of exercising on a regular basis started exercising after this.
Another point that has been discussed is the uncertainty of the median intensity of physical activity for people.
A person with a baseline of 2,150 MET minutes/week was found to have a follow-up of 2,370 MET minutes/week, but it is difficult to determine whether this is low or normal.
For example, what if a person who walks to work but does not get much exercise because most of his or her travel is by public transportation, and who works at a desk at work except for breaks, etc., becomes active by cleaning the house during the time he or she is at home? That's what I mean.
Sensibly, it may seem that you are not exercising because you are not active outside, but it may not be so unexpected even when you are at home.
Aegerter AM, Deforth M, Sjøgaard G, et al. No Evidence for a Decrease in Physical Activity Among Swiss Office Workers During COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study. Front Psychol. 2021;12:620307. published 2021 Feb 11. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620307
Conclusion
According to the results of the study, the majority of people did not see a decrease in physical activity due to lockdown.
I wondered if this was true, but I thought it might be a good opportunity to manage your own physical activity so that you don't buy exercise equipment unnecessarily due to media scare tactics. This is why I introduced this article.
Smartwatches can also be used to record data as an indicator, so why not take this opportunity?
