ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: School-aged children are recommended to complete at least one hour of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per day. North American data has shown that due to COVID-19 restrictions placed on in person schooling and extracurricular activities, children were not meeting recommended levels of physical activity. Additional barriers to activity during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic included lack of access to public facilities including community centers, parks, and outdoor recreation. Decreased physical activity in children has been shown to have a negative impact on both physical and mental health, and childhood development. However, there is a paucity of literature on parents' perceptions of the association between physical activity and physical and mental health. OBJECTIVE(S): The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of physical activity and parents' perceptions surrounding physical activity and physical and mental health. DESIGN/METHODS: An online survey was distributed to parents of school-aged children aged 4-13 in Ontario. The survey included questions regarding demographics, children's physical activity prior to and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and parental perceptions regarding the pandemic's impact on mental and physical health. This study received ethics approval, was hosted on the REDCapTM platform, and distributed from February-June 2021 through a local school board, the Pediatrics section of the Ontario Medical Association, and through social media. RESULT(S): Of 361 participants, 90.4% strongly agreed that physical activity was important for mental health, and 92.2% strongly agreed that physical activity was important for physical health. There was a statistically significant decrease in the overall mean number of hours of physical activity per week between pre-COVID and the first wave of COVID (mean difference = 9.34 hours, SD = 10.06, p<0.001). Additionally, parents of children with decreased physical activity reported a statistically significant negative impact on physical and mental health as compared to parents whose children had no change in amount of physical activity. Decreased energy, poor sleep, increased anxiety, mood disturbances, and disruptive behaviour were noted by over 50% of respondents. CONCLUSION(S): This survey highlights that parents themselves perceived a significant negative impact on children's mental and physical well-being with decreased physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This emphasizes the importance of retaining access to recreational facilities and extracurricular activities. Future research includes identifying ways to re-engage parents and children with physical activity during times of decreased access.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Current recommendations for school-aged children's physical activity include at least one hour of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per day. Schools play an essential role in providing access to physical activity, through both structured and unstructured activity such as physical education and recess. North American data has shown that due to restrictions placed on in-person schooling, children were not meeting recommended levels of physical activity during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE(S): The objective of this study was to understand the effect schooling models have on access to physical activity and subsequent reported changes in mental and physical health. DESIGN/METHODS: An online survey was distributed to parents of school-aged children aged 4-13 in Ontario. The survey included questions regarding demographics, children's physical activity prior to and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and parental perceptions regarding the pandemic's impact on mental and physical health. This study received ethics approval, was hosted on the REDCapTM platform, and distributed from February-June 2021 through a local school board, the Pediatrics section of the Ontario Medical Association, and through social media. RESULT(S): A total of 361 survey participants responded. Although there was a statistically significant decrease in the overall mean number of hours of physical activity per week from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (mean difference = 9.34 hours, SD = 10.06, p<0.001), there was no significant difference in hours of physical activity when comparing in-person and virtual school models (p=0.892 pre-COVID-19 pandemic and p=0.146 during the first wave of the COVID- 19 pandemic). There was no significant difference in parent-reported impact of either physical (p=0.724) or mental (p=0.822) health between those that were enrolled in virtual or in-person school models, and no significant difference between school model and restarting activities (p=0.078). CONCLUSION(S): This survey highlights not only that parents identified a significant decrease in children's physical activity during the pandemic but also that there was no correlation between school model and physical activity. This may be due to several organized physical activities not being re-started despite schools reopening, thus contributing to similar outcomes for children in both school models. Future research may include exploring why virtual and in-person models demonstrated no significant difference in physical activity and to conduct a qualitative analysis on methods used by parents to engage children in activity.