Research
Adherence
Access to nature, green spaces, and specific neighborhood infrastructure (sidewalks, parks) positively correlates with maintained or increased physical activity during the pandemic, particularly for adults.
If you live in an area with good access to parks, trails, or safe sidewalks, you are more likely to maintain physical activity during restrictions. Urban planners and individuals should prioritize utilizing these available resources to counteract the general trend of reduced activity.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Three articles involving adults, or the general population, showed a positive relationship between having/visiting nature or green spaces and physical activity.
Why this rating
Based on a small subset (n=11) of the reviewed studies, with mixed results for children.
Source
Impact of COVID-19 on physical activity: A rapid review
Amaryllis H Park et al. · Journal of Global Health · 2022
DOI 10.7189/jogh.12.05003
systematic_reviewCited 228×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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 →