Physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey with adults in Northern Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the social distancing recommendations during COVID-19 pandemic on the physical activity behavior in adults living in region of Northern Brazil. A final sample of 654 adults (386 women) aged 33 ± 10 years old participated in this study. A questionnaire with 45 questions concerning sociodemographic characteristics, self-perception of health and characteristics of physical activity behavior before and after the recommendations of social distancing was applied in an online format. Comparisons between levels of physical activity before and after pandemic were conducted applying a McNemar test. A binary logistic regression was applied to analyze the factors associated to being physically active during the pandemic. Analyzing the percentage levels of physical activity before and during social distancing, we observed an increase of physically inactive behavior (19% vs. 36.7%), as well as a decrease in active (32.6% vs. 18.6%) and very active (16.7% vs. 6.6%) behaviors, respectively. Among participants, 59.2% of them became sedentary during pandemic. Walking and running activities continued to be among the most practiced, although they showed a reduction during social distancing. Social distancing recommendations due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused decrease in the overall levels of physical activity in adults living in the Amazonas State and specifically in the practice of individuals who were physically active and very physically active before pandemic.