Adolescents' Behaviors, Fitness, and Knowledge Related to Active Living before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis
Senlin Chen, School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Baofu Wang, School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Stacy Imagbe, School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Xiangli Gu, Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA.
Jared Androzzi, Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Performance, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 29733, USA.
Yang Liu, Department of Physical Education, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
Sami R. Yli-Piipari, Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Gang Hu, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States.
Tina K. Thethi, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, United States.
Phillip J. Brantley, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States.
William D. Johnson, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States.
Vivian Fonseca, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, United States.
Jonathan Gugel, Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Kathleen B. Kennedy, College of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Carl J. Lavie, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School-The University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Eboni G. Price-Haywood, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Center for Applied Health Services Research, New Orleans, LA, United States; Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Daniel F. Sarpong, College of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Benjamin Springgate, Department of Internal Medicine, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States; Program in Health Policy and Systems Management, Louisiana State University School of Public Health, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nearly all schools in the United States experienced shutdown followed by phased reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby limiting students' opportunities for physical activity (PA). This study aimed to examine adolescents' PA at school (PAS) and PA out-of-school (PAO), screen-based sedentary behaviors (SbSB), health-related fitness, and knowledge understanding about PA and fitness before and during the pandemic. METHODS: Three rounds of data were collected: Time 1 pre-pandemic (January 2020; = 405), Time 2 schools partially reopened (February 2021; = 412), and Time 3 schools fully reopened (March 2021; = 450). Adolescents completed the Youth Activity Profile, the 20 m Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test and Plank test, and a written test, to measure the behaviors (T1, T2, T3), fitness (T2-T3), and knowledge (T1, T2, T3), respectively. RESULTS: Inferential statistical analyses revealed a significant time effect for the behaviors and fitness. From T1 to T2 PAO decreased but PAS increased; whereas SbSB decreased at T3 compared to T1 and T2. Health-related fitness improved from T2 to T3. Further, the change patterns for SbSB varied by grade, and those for knowledge understanding varied by gender. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' active living but varied by school grade and gender. The favorable changes from T2 to T3 observed for fitness and other constructs may be partially attributable to an interrupted fitness education intervention. The findings may guide the design and evaluation of future interventions addressing the physical inactivity pandemic during public health crises (e.g., COVID-19).
