Adherence
Government-imposed public life restrictions and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a substantial, global decrease in physical activity levels, specifically moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA).
If you are facing lockdowns or facility closures, expect your activity levels to drop significantly. Proactively plan home-based or outdoor activities to mitigate this loss, as the default response to restrictions is a ~40% drop in exercise volume.
Compared to pre-restrictions, overall self-reported PA declined by 41% (MVPA) and 42.2% (VPA).
Why this rating
Large multinational sample (n=13,503) but relies on self-reported data which may overestimate PA and recall bias.
Source
A Pandemic within the Pandemic? Physical Activity Levels Substantially Decreased in Countries Affected by COVID-19
Jan Wilke et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2021
DOI 10.3390/ijerph18052235
More from this paper
- Previously active individuals experience a disproportionately larger decrease in physical activity during lockdowns compared to those who were already less active.Moderate
- Pandemic-related lockdowns led to a significant decrease in compliance with WHO physical activity guidelines, dropping from 80.9% to 62.5% of the population.Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →