AUTHOR=Chaabna Karima , Chaabane Sonia , Jithesh Anupama , Doraiswamy Sathyanarayanan , Mamtani Ravinder , Cheema Sohaila
TITLE=Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of physically active children and adults worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health
VOLUME=10
YEAR=2022
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1009703
DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.1009703
ISSN=2296-2565
ABSTRACT=IntroductionSafety measures implemented to address the COVID-19 pandemic have had a profound impact on the mobility of people worldwide We synthesized the global evidence on physical activity (PA) participation before and during the pandemic.
MethodsWe conducted a systematic review, searching PubMed, Embase, WHO Global literature on coronavirus disease (between January 2020 and April 2022), and reference lists. Meta-analysis and meta-regression were conducted to quantitatively synthesize the data.
Results and discussionSixty-three primary studies were included. In children, the global pooled prevalence of PA was 46.4% before the pandemic, 40.6% during the pandemic before movement restriction (MR), and 19.5% during MR. A statistically significant decrease in prevalence was observed between the period before the pandemic and the period during which MR was implemented (p < 0.001). In adults, the global pooled prevalence (both sexes) decreased between the periods before the pandemic (64.7%) and during MR (57.0%). During the period of COVID-19 MR, children had significantly lower odds to meet the WHO PA recommendation than adults (19.5%, 95%CI: 15.8–23.8% vs. 57.0%, 95%CI: 43.3–62.5%; OR = 0.21; p ≤ 0.001). Patient populations were less active than the general population, and their PA levels decreased during the pandemic. Mental and physical health benefits of PA have been well-demonstrated. Prioritizing PA in health campaigns and strategies is critical to address health issues exacerbated during this pandemic.
Protocol registrationdoi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/GVABX.