Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sedentary time in children and adults
Citation: Runacres A, Mackintosh KA, Knight RL, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sedentary time and behaviour in children and adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(21):11286.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: Sport Wales.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for peer-reviewed studies on the influence of COVID-19, and associated pandemic restrictions, on sedentary behaviour. The authors included articles published in English between 2020 and 2021 that used either subjective or device-based measures. They searched in January 2021 and found 64 studies, 45 in adults older than 18 years of age and 19 in children younger than 18 years. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42020208909.
What was found: Sedentary time increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children had significantly higher sedentary times than adults (+159.5 ± 142.6 min day−1 vs. +126.9 ± 42.2 min day−1). Adults in Asian countries had less sedentary time compared with adults in Europe, North America, or South America. Screen time was estimated to account for about 57% of sedentary time in adults and 47% of sedentary time in children. Sedentary time was correlated negatively with quality of life and mental health. The risk of depression and anxiety increased with greater sedentary time.
Implications: The authors of this study stated that physical activity and breaking up sedentary time could help to improve both physical and mental well-being.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of gender, sex, and place of residence.
This summary was prepared by Joly Ghanawi, checked by Sydney Johnson, and finalized by William Summerskill.