Table 2 Physical activity results from the scoping review (n = 19)
First Author, Year | Physical Activity Assessment Method | Physical Activity Definitions Used | Physical Activity Before Lockdown | Physical Activity During and/or Following Lockdown | Change Reported | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Children/Adolescents | ||||||
Almugti, 2021 [38] | Parent-reported questionnaire modified by an expert panel | Based on Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth: At least 1 h/day of MVPA | MVPA < 1 h/day 29%, ≥ 1 h/day 71% | MVPA < 1 h/day 49%, ≥ 1 h/day 51% | P for difference 0.001 | Decreased MVPA |
Hanbazaza, 2021 [44] | Parent-reported questionnaire | Change in children’s PA (increased, decreased, or remained unchanged); The number of d/wk their children participated in PA before and during lockdown (5 response options ranging from “None at all” to “5–6 times a week”) with PA categorized as ≤ 4 times/week as "not physically active" and ≥ 5 times a week as "physically active" | 19.3% were physically active | 16.1% were physically active | Proportion of physically active decreased 3.2% but was not statistically significant (p = 0.30) | Decreased PA |
Al Agha, 2021 [34] | Parent- or self-reported questionnaire | Duration of PA | Daily duration of PA before lockdown: < 30 min 40.5%, 30–60 min 28.0%, Not practicing 27.4%, missing 4.1%* | NR | PA during lockdown: Decreased 66.1%, Increased 19.0%, Not affected 14.9% | Decreased PA |
Adults | ||||||
Abd El-Fatah, 2021 [31] | IPAQ-SF | Changes in PA reported as no change, positive change, or negative change, see footnote below table for definitions | Median PA 380 min/wk; Low 62.3%, Moderate 37.5%, High 0.3% | Median PA 320 min/wk; Low 63.6%, Moderate 34.2%, High 2.2% | Moderate PA days/wk: No change 54.5%, Positive change (increased PA) 25.1%, Negative change (decreased PA) 20.4%; Moderate PA min/day: No change 48.2%, Positive change 32.2%, Negative change 19.6% | Decreased median PA |
Abdulaziz, 2021 [32] | Questionnaire | Engagement in any PA, such as walking, going to the gym, and playing sports | NR | 58.9% engaging in PA | Change in exercise: Increased 14.0%, Decreased 30.1%, No change 37.8%; Change in park visits: Increased 4.7%, Decreased 76.7%, No change 18.6% | Decreased exercise; Decreased park visits |
Abdulsalam, 2021 [33] | Questionnaire translated, tested, and validated by experts at the university | Categorized PA hr/week and PA level per day | Usual daily PA level very low 11.7%, low 17.4%, normal 51.5%, high 17.8%, very high 1.7% | Usual daily PA level very low 22.2%, low 29.0%, normal 34.7%, high 13.1%, very high 0.8% | Usual daily PA level and PA in hr/wk significantly decreased during the COVID-19 period | Decreased usual daily PA level; decreased PA hr/wk |
Al Fagih, 2020 [35] | Uniaxial accelerometer embedded in patients' cardiac implantable device (Medtronic ICD/CRT) | PA defined in h/day | Median 2.4 h/day PA | Median 1.8 h/day PA | 27.1% decline in PA; change in PA occurred in the first week of March 2020 which coincides with the implementation of social distancing measures | Decreased total PA |
Alfawaz, 2021 [24] | Questionnaire designed/revised by multidisciplinary experts and piloted | Categorized daily walking, home physical activities, weight lifting, and swimming: never, 1–2, 3–4, or > 4 days | Daily walking never 21.0%, 1–2 d/wk 23.6%, 3–4 d/wk 24.9%, > 4 d/wk 30.5%; Home PA never 42.8%, 1–2 d/wk 19.0%, 3–4 d/wk 18.0%, > 4 d/wk 20.1% | Daily walking never 23.6%, 1–2 d/wk 22.9%, 3–4 d/wk 24.4%, > 4 d/wk 29.1%; Home PA never 44.6%, 1–2 d/wk 18.8%, 3–4 d/wk 17.1%, > 4 d/wk 19.5% | Significant changes in walking, home physical activities with weights, and swimming (p values < 0.001) | Decreased daily walking; Decreased home activities; Increased swimming |
Al-Musharaf, 2021 [36] | GPAQ Arabic version | Meeting recommendation of ≥ 600 MET-min/week | 47.5% meeting recommendations | 40.7% meeting recommendations | Test for difference in meeting PA recommendations p = 0.08 | Decreased meeting PA recommendations |
Alharthi, 2021 [37] | Modified IPAQ (New Zealand PAQ) | Reported did or did not do exercise | Did exercise 64.2% | Did exercise 48.9% | Increased exercise 48.9% (p = 0.01) | Decreased "did exercise" |
Alotaibi, 2021 [39] | Questionnaire | Active or inactive based on the WHO guidelines (150–300 min/week of moderate or 75–150 min/week of vigorous intensity PA, or some equivalent combination). MVPA further divided into < 3 d/wk or ≥ 3 d/wk | Inactive 77.1%, Active 22.9%; MVPA > 3 times/wk 13.0%, < 3 times/wk 9.9% | Inactive 80.0%, Active 20.0%; MVPA > 3 times/wk 10.2%, < 3 times/wk 9.8% | Inactive + 2.9%, Active -2.9%; > 3 times/wk -2.9%, < 3 times/wk -0.09% | Decreased active group; increased inactive group |
Alqurashi, 2021 [40] | Questionnaire developed and piloted | PA before and during lockdown, asking about: 1) engagement in PA or sports before the pandemic, 2) their gym attendance, 3) whether they exercised at home during the lockdown, 4) whether their time spent exercising increased during the quarantine | Engaged in PA before pandemic 59.1%; exercised at a gym before pandemic 28.8% | Practice exercise at home during lockdown: never 36.5%, 1–3 times/wk 39%, 4–6 times/wk 10.1%, every day 14.4% | During the quarantine period, increased exercise time at home: strongly agree 27.5%, agree 25.5%, neutral 29.8%, disagree 12.5% | Increased time in exercise at home |
Bakhsh, 2021 [41] | Questionnaire | Asked participants about changes in their level of PA, weekly frequency of PA, duration of PA per day, and types of PA performed during quarantine | NR | Frequency of PA: none 40%, 1–2 d/wk 22%, 3 d/wk 11%, 4–6 d/wk 14%, daily 13%; Duration of PA: none 40%, < 30 min/d 13%, 30 min/d 15%, 1 h/d 24%, > 1 h/d 8%; Type of PA: walking 65% (most common), cardiorespiratory exercise 11%, and resistance training 7% | Change in PA level: increased 27%, decreased 52%, no change 21% | Decreased PA |
Barwais, 2020 [42] | IPAQ-SF | Total MET-min/wk | Mean 903 (SD 755.6) MET-min/wk | Mean 387 (SD 397.8) MET-min/wk | p for paired difference 0.001 with a large effect size (d = 0.89); Social contexts: significant decreases in PA performed alone (p < 0.001), with family (p < 0.05), with friends (p < 0.05), and with groups (p < 0.001) | Decreased PA overall and for men and women |
BinDhim, 2021 [43] | Questionnaire refined through linguistic validation, reliability testing, and focus group evaluation | WHO/US PA Guidelines: low level of PA or acceptable PA level (≥ 150 min/wk of MPA and/or ≥ 75 min/wk VPA) | Acceptable PA level Q1 (January to mid-March) 41.0% | Acceptable PA level Q2 (mid-March to June) 26.5%, Q3 (July to September) 24.6%, Q4 (October to December) 24.6% | Significant decline in prevalence odds of having an acceptable PA level between Q1 and each of Q2-4 (all p < 0.001) for both unadjusted and adjusted (age, gender, and region) analysis | Decreased PA |
Jalal, 2021 [45] | GPAQ | Meeting recommendation of > = 600 total MET-min/wk | Total PA mean 1149.2 (SD 120.08) MET-min/week; Attaining ≥ 600 MET-min/wk 52.1% | Total PA mean 1116.5 (SD 125.3) MET-min/week; Attaining ≥ 600 MET-min/wk 47.9% | differences: MET-min/week p = 0.0001, attaining ≥ 600 MET-min/wk p = 0.03 | Decreased total PA; Decreased meet PA recommendations |
Magliah, 2021 [46] | Web survey (Google Forms) with a section asking about the impact of lockdown on different self-management behaviors, which included rating their ability to maintain PA in comparison with the pre-lockdown period | Report change in PA during vs before lockdown in five categories (Greatly decreased to greatly increased) | NR | NR | Greatly decreased 41.5%, somewhat decreased 26.2%, no change 9.2%, somewhat increased 15.4%, greatly increased 7.7% | Decreased PA |
Šagát, 2020 [47] | Questionnaire | Categorize their weekly frequency of PA before and after the pandemic: none, once, 2–3 times, 4–5 times, or 6–7 times per week | Did not practice PA 7.3%, PA 1 time/wk 10.3%, PA 2–3 times/wk 35.6%, PA 4–5 times/wk 24.1%, PA 6–7 times/wk 22.7% | Did not practice PA 20.0%, PA 1 time/wk 15.2%, PA 2–3 times/wk 25.1%, PA 4–5 times/wk 25.8%, PA 6–7 times/wk 13.9% | Significant differences in proportions who "did not practice PA" (p = 0.001; increase), "practiced PA once a wk" (p = 0.02; increase), "practiced PA 2–3 times a wk" (p = 0.001; decrease), and "practiced PA 6–7 time a wk" (p < 0.001; decrease) | Decreased PA |
Sultan, 2021 [48] | Questionnaire developed after a literature review; tested reliability | Categorized participants as not active, light activity, active, or very active (categories not further defined) | Not active 5.3%, light activity 31.2%, active 54.9%, very active 6.8% | Not active 19.0%, light activity 36.2%, active 37.4%, very active 7.4% | "Not active" category increased significantly p < 0.001 | Increased "not active" category |