Hailey, Verity Joanne;
(2024)
The role of social factors in physical activity – using the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
COVID-19 created barriers for physical activity. As physical activity is socially patterned, it was vulnerable to the shifting environment created by the pandemic. Using a mixed methods approach, this thesis investigated how social factors supported physical activity during this period of societal disruption. Observational data from the COVID-19 Social Study and Understanding Society COVID-19 Study was analysed. Ordinal regression was used to evaluate if social factors impacted on sustained physical activity during the first UK lockdown. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression was used to investigate the association between neighbourhood cohesion and physical activity trajectories during the pandemic. Thematic analysis, with an inductive approach to thematic development, explored the impact of COVID-19 on physical activity. A service evaluation of an online intervention to promote physical activity was undertaken to assess if social support was involved in engagement with the intervention. Participants with high social support had 64% increased odds of sustaining physical activity during lockdown compared to those with low social support. Higher neighbourhood cohesion was related to higher physical activity, this was maintained throughout suggesting that higher neighbourhood cohesion was protective to physical activity. Several themes were identified from the qualitative work, these included perceived risks/threats to participation in physical activity and the use of technology to aid physical activity which directed studies. The digital physical activity intervention had low engagement. Community, at individual and group level are important for the maintenance of physical activity, continuing through periods of social restrictions. Neighbourhood cohesion is important and may become more so as hybrid working continues long term. While digital interventions were utilised during the pandemic, engagement and use appears to have dropped. Effective collaborations between public health and urban planning are required to develop spaces and environments that build communities supportive of physical activity.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | The role of social factors in physical activity – using the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10191408 |
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