Effects of the COVID-19 national lockdown on physical activity and sitting time in England

Background: National lockdowns were implemented in numerous countries around the globe in order to reduce COVID-19 transmission, affecting many aspects of living due to social distancing, isolation and home confinement. Purpose: The aims of this study were to evaluate changes in physical activity and sitting in response to the first COVID-19 lockdown in England and factors associated with these changes. Methods: An online survey was completed by 818 adults between 29 April and 13 May 2020. T-tests compared physical activity levels (MET-min/week) and X2 compared the proportion of participants engaging in low (<8 hours/day) and high sitting (≥8 hours/day) before and during lockdown. Logistic regression explored factors associated with physical activity and sitting during lockdown. Results: There was an increase in physical activity by 302 (155, 457) MET-min/week during lockdown (p<0.001). There were 19.81 and 5.83 higher odds of low physical activity for individuals with low and moderate levels pre-lockdown. Being higher educated and non-White ethnicity were associated with 1.70 higher and 0.24 lower odds of physical activity, respectively. More participants engaged in high sitting during lockdown than before (29% and 41%, respectively, p<0.001). High pre-lockdown sitting and being aged 40-59 years were associated with increased odds of high sitting during lockdown. Conclusions: Physical activity decreased and sitting increased during lockdown. Individuals with lower physical activity and higher sitting pre-lockdown in addition to lower education level, non-White ethnicity and middle-aged were more likely to engage in low physical activity and high sitting. Funding: N/A.