Al-Mohannadi, Abdulla S;
Farooq, Abdulaziz;
Salman, Ahmad;
Ghram, Amine;
Al-Harahsheh, Sanaa T;
Majed, Lina;
Sayegh, Suzan;
(2024)
The effects of the first wave of COVID-19 restrictions on physical activity: a longitudinal study from "step into health" program in Qatar.
Frontiers in Public Health
, 12
, Article 1333546. 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1333546.
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Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions that prevented physical activity in public places. This study sought to conduct a comprehensive longitudinal analysis of how lockdown policies in an Arabian Gulf country influenced the patterns of physical activity during first wave. Methods: In a longitudinal study design, members of the ongoing “Step into health” community-based health promotion program who provided valid pedometer data from January to August 2020, covering pre, during and post-covid first wave period met the inclusion criteria. Results: 420 (76.7% men, 13.8% ≤40 years) were included in the study. Overall, significant decline in daily step counts was recorded (−1,130 ± SE302) after the implementation of lockdown policies (p < 0.001). When the restrictions were removed, the steps per day were still lower compared to pre-covid for men (−910 ± SE610, p = 0.017) and among individuals with normal BMI (−1,304 ± SE409, p = 0.004). The lockdown in Qatar did not significantly affect women and individuals with obesity who already had lower daily steps pre-covid. Discussion: The present study confirms immediate decline in daily steps imposed indirectly through the COVID-19 lockdown measures. Participants with higher physical activity levels pre-covid experienced significant decline in step count during and even after restrictions were uplifted.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The effects of the first wave of COVID-19 restrictions on physical activity: a longitudinal study from "step into health" program in Qatar |
| Location: | Switzerland |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1333546 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1333546 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2024 Al-Mohannadi, Farooq, Salman, Ghram, Al-Harahsheh, Majed, Sayegh and Cardinale. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Public, Environmental & Occupational Health, physical activity, pedometer, COVID-19, pandemic, lockdown, longitudinal study, ANXIETY |
| UCL classification: | UCL 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 Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci > Department of Targeted Intervention |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10198717 |
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