Physical Activity Pattern Before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown among Adolescents in Indonesia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Many countries have issued “stay at home” orders to combat the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which may have hampered movement in people of all ages. This may impact adolescent physical activity, sedentary behavior, screen time, etc. AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess changes in physical activity and screen time before and during the first and second COVID-19 lockdown among adolescents in Indonesia. METHODS: This study was a national web-based survey distributed through social media platforms in Indonesia. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit participants. The final sample included 5650 participants who had provided complete information for the research topic. RESULTS: Physical activity patterns of adolescents had dramatically shifted during COVID-19 lockdown, with disparities between genders and educational levels. The majority of adolescents had maintained their physical activity levels, with 34.4% of those who engaged in active transportation and 67.3% of those who walked; while, the remaining adolescents had experienced a decrease in physical activity (30.1%–63.1%). Adolescents had maintained their sleeping (about 50%) and screen time (31.4%), but almost 40% had decreased their sleeping time and 60.5% had significantly increased their screen time. Furthermore, when compared to their peers who had maintained their sedentary time before to COVID-19, more adolescents had increased their sedentary time throughout both schooldays and weekends (about 54%). CONCLUSION: This large-scale nationwide survey could be valuable for stakeholders, when deciding when and how to relax restrictions in the future. In addition, school administrators should be aware of these changes so that in-class and/or extracurricular physical programs can be developed to offset the effects of these changes.