Children’s Physical Activity Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Research

Yıl 2023, Cilt: 14 Sayı: 2, 125 - 145, 28.08.2023

Leyla Alkan , İrmak Hürmeriç Altunsöz

https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1268831

Öz

This study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s physical activity behaviors. Furthermore, children's indoor and outdoor physical activity opportunities and daily habits including screen time and sleep patterns were investigated. A mixed methods approach was used in which survey methodology was combined with semi-structured interviews. The convenience sampling method was used. A sample of parents (n = 205, 165 mothers) of children (5-12 years) participated in the survey. Semi-structured interviews were used to assess changes in children’s physical activity behaviors and daily habits (screen time and sleep patterns) in detail. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, standard deviations, and means) and thematic analysis were used for data analysis. The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions caused a decline in children’s physical activity participation, particularly a dramatic decrease in outdoor time. However, outdoor time was associated with better mental health, more active time, and less sedentary behaviors. The screen time also increased and parents had local and temporal solutions to control screen time. Although the sleep hours were sufficient for children, delays occurred in the sleep/wake schedule of children, and sleep-related problems were reported by parents. Based on the study results, professionals could help families to regulate children’s daily habits. These findings could also guide efforts to promote outdoor physical activity places to prevent the negative influence of long-term homestay periods for future extreme cases.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Indoor, Outdoor, Screen time, Sedentary behavior, Sleep habits

Teşekkür

The authors would like to thank the families who participated in this study by liberally sharing their time and experiences.

Kaynakça

• Apriyanto, R., & Adi, S. (2021). Effectiveness of online learning and physical activities study in Physical education during Pandemic Covid 19. Kinestetik: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Jasmani, 5(1), 64-70.
• Araújo, L. A., Veloso, C. F., Souza, M. C., Azevedo, J., & Tarro, G. (2021). The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child growth and development: a systematic review. Jornal de pediatria, 97(4), 369–377.
• Barron, C., Emmett, M. J., Patte, M. M., Higham, S., & Bulgarelli, D. (2021). Indoor play during a global pandemic: commonalities and diversities during a unique snapshot in time. International Journal of Play, 10(4), 365-386.
• Birt, L., Scott, S., Cavers, D., Campbell, C., & Walter, F. (2016). Member Checking: A Tool to Enhance Trustworthiness or Merely a Nod to Validation?. Qualitative health research, 26(13), 1802–1811. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316654870
• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
• Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard university press.
• Bronfenbrenner, U. (1992). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.), Six theories of child development: Revised formulations and current issues (pp. 187–249). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
• Bruni, O., Malorgio, E., Doria, M., Finotti, E., Spruyt, K., Melegari, M. G., Villa, M. P., & Ferri, R. (2022). Changes in sleep patterns and disturbances in children and adolescents in Italy during the Covid-19 outbreak. Sleep Med., 91, 166-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.02.003
• Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2005). Anket geliştirme. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 3(2), 133-151.
• Check, J., & Schutt, R. K. (2012). Survey research. In J. Check & R. K. Schutt (Eds.). Research methods in education. (pp. 159–185). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Clarke, J., Kipping, R., Chambers, S., Willis, K., Taylor, H., Brophy, R., Hannam, K., Simpson, S. A. & Langford, R. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on preschool children’s eating, activity and sleep behaviours: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 11(10), e051497.
• Constantini, K., Markus, I., Epel, N., Jakobovich, R., Gepner, Y., & Lev-Ari, S. (2021). Continued Participation of Israeli Adolescents in Online Sports Pro-grams during the COVID-19 Pandemic Is Associated with Higher Resilience. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18(8), 4386. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084386
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research. Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Boston, Pearson.
• Crouse, T., & Lowe, P. A. (2018). Snowball sampling. The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation, 1, 1532-1532.
• Gellis, L. A., Park, A., Stotsky, M. T., & Taylor, D. J. (2014). Associations between sleep hygiene and insomnia severity in college students: cross-sectional and prospective analyses. Behavior therapy, 45(6), 806–816.
• Guan, H., Okely, A. D., Aguilar-Farias, N., del Pozo Cruz, B., Draper, C. E., El Hamdouchi, A., Florindo, A. A., Jáuregui, A., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Kontsevaya, A., Löf, M. A., Park, W., Reilly, J. J., Sharma, D., Tremblay, S. M., & Veldman, S. L. (2020). Promoting healthy movement behaviours among children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(6), 416-418. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30131-0
• Guerrero, M. D., Vanderloo, L. M., Rhodes, R. E., Faulkner, G., Moore, S. A., & Tremblay, M. S. (2020). Canadian children's and youth's adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic: A decision tree analysis. Journal of sport and health science, 9(4), 313-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.06.005
• Haleemunnissa, S., Didel, S., Swami, M. K., Singh, K., & Vyas, V. (2021). Children and COVID19: Understanding impact on the growth trajectory of an evolving generation. Children and youth services review, 120, 105754.
• Hazlehurst, M. F., Muqueeth, S., Wolf, K. L., Simmons, C., Kroshus, E., & Tandon, P. S. (2022). Park access and mental health among parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13148-2
• Hysing, M., Pallesen, S., Stormark, K. M., Lundervold, A. J., & Sivertsen, B. (2013). Sleep patterns and insomnia among adolescents: a population-based study. Journal of sleep research, 22(5), 549–556. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12055
• India Today Coronavirus: doctor returns home, breaks down after stopping son from hugging him. Emotional video (2020). www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/coronavirus-doctor-returns-home-breaks-down-after-stopping-son-from-hugginghim-emotional-video-1660624-2020-03-28 Knowland, V. C. P., van Rijn, E., Gaskell, M. G., & Henderson, L. (2022). UK children's sleep and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC psychology, 10(1), 76. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00729-4
• Kolota, A., & Glabska, D. (2021). COVID-19 Pandemic and Remote Education Contributes to Improved Nutritional Behaviors and Increased Screen Time in a Polish Population-Based Sample of Primary School Adolescents: Diet and Activity of Youth during COVID-19 (DAY-19) Study. Nutrients, 13 (5), 1596. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051596 Kutlay, E., Haslofca, E., Bildik, T., & Quintana, M. S. (2018). The Effect of a Physical Activity Program on Some Anthropometric Characteristics in Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, 9(2), 73-81.
• Lee, S. J., Ward, K. P., Chang, O. D., & Downing, K. M. (2021). Parenting activities and the transition to home-based education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children and Youth Services Review, 122, 105585.
• Liu, S., Yang, L., Zhang, C., Xiang, Y. T., Liu, Z., Hu, S., & Zhang, B. (2020). Online mental health services in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), e17–e18. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30077-8
• López-Aymes, G., Valadez, M. D. L. D., Rodríguez-Naveiras, E., Castellanos-Simons, D., Aguirre, T., & Borges, Á. (2021). A mixed methods research study of parental perception of physical activity and quality of life of children under home lock down in the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 649481.
• McCormack, G. R., Doyle-Baker, P. K., Petersen, J. A., & Ghoneim, D. (2020). Parent anxiety and perceptions of their child's physical activity and sedentary behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Preventive medicine reports, 20, 101275.
• Mitra, R., Moore, S. A., Gillespie, M., Faulkner, G., Vanderloo, L. M., Chulak-Bozzer, T., Rhodes, R. E., Brussoni, M., & Tremblay, M. S. (2020). Healthy movement behaviours in children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the role of the neighborhood environment. Health & place, 65, 102418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102418
• Mitra, R., Waygood, E. O. D., & Fullan, J. (2021). Subjective well-being of Canadian children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of the social and physical environment and healthy movement behaviours. Preventive Medicine Reports, 23, 101404.
• Moore, S. A., Sharma, R., Martin Ginis, K. A., & Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K. P. (2021). Adverse Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Movement and Play Behaviours of Children and Youth Living with Disabilities: Findings from the National Physical Activity Measurement (NPAM) Study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(24), 12950. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182412950
• Mutz, M., & Gerke, M. (2021). Sport and exercise in times of self-quarantine: How Germans changed their behaviour at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 56(3), 305-316.
• Ng, K., Cooper, J., McHale, F., Clifford, J., & Woods, C. (2020). Barriers and facilitators to changes in adolescent physical activity during COVID-19. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 6(1).
• Nyström, D. C., Alexandrou, C., Henström, M., Nilsson, E., Okely, A. D., Wehbe El Masri, S., & Löf, M. (2020). International Study of Movement Behaviors in the Early Years (SUNRISE): Results from SUNRISE Sweden's Pilot and COVID-19 Study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(22), 8491.
• O'Kane, S. M., Lahart, I. M., Gallagher, A. M., Carlin, A., Faulkner, M., Jago, R., & Murphy, M. H. (2021). Changes in Physical Activity, Sleep, Mental Health, and Social Media Use During COVID-19 Lockdown Among Adolescent Girls: A Mixed-Methods Study. Journal of physical activity & health, 18(6), 677–685. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2020-0649
• Oliveira, V. H., Martins, P. C., & Carvalho, G. S. (2022). Children’s daily activities and well-being during the COVID-19 lockdown: Associations with child and family characteristics. Current Psychology, 1-12.
• Pacheco, S. R., Miranda, A. M., Coelho, R., Monteiro, A. C., Bragança, G., & Loureiro, H. C. (2017). Overweight in youth and sleep quality: is there a link?. Archives of endocrinology and metabolism, 61(4), 367-373. https://doi.org/10.1590/2359-3997000000265
• Pelletier, C. A., Cornish, K., & Sanders, C. (2021). Children’s independent mobility and physical activity during the covid-19 pandemic: A qualitative study with families. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4481.
• Perez, D., Thalken, J. K., Ughelu, N. E., Knight, C. J., & Massey, W. V. (2021). Nowhere to go: Parents' descriptions of children's physical activity during a global pandemic. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 642932.
• Petersen, J. A., Naish, C., Ghoneim, D., Cabaj, J. L., Doyle-Baker, P. K., & McCormack, G. R. (2021). Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on physical activity and sedentary behaviour: A qualitative study in a Canadian City. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(9), 4441.
• Pietrobelli, A., Pecoraro, L., Ferruzzi, A., Heo, M., Faith, M., Zoller, T., Antoniazzi, F., Piacentini, G., Fearnbahc, N. S., & Heymsfield, S. B. (2020). Effects of COVID‐19 lockdown on lifestyle behaviors in children with obesity living in Verona, Italy: a longitudinal study. Obesity, 28(8), 1382-1385. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.22861
• Riazi, N. A., Wunderlich, K., Gierc, M., Brussoni, M., Moore, S. A., Tremblay, M. S., & Faulkner, G. (2021). “You can’t go to the park, you can’t go here, you can’t go there”: Exploring parental experiences of COVID-19 and its impact on their children’s movement behaviours. Children, 8(3), 219. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8030219
• Sallis, J. F., Adlakha, D., Oyeyemi, A., & Salvo, D. (2020). An international physical activity and public health research agenda to inform coronavirus disease-2019 policies and practices. Journal of sport and health science, 9(4), 328-334.
• Savin-Baden, M., & Howell-Major, C. (2013). Qualitative research: The essential guide to theory and practice. Routledge.
• Schlieber, M., & Han, J. (2021). The Role of Sleep in Young Children’s Development: A Review. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 182(4), 205-217.
• Schmidt, S., Anedda, B., Burchartz, A., Eichsteller, A., Kolb, S., Nigg, C., Niessner, C., Oriwol, D., Worth, A., & Woll, A. (2020). Physical activity and screen time of children and adolescents before and during the COVID-19 lock-down in Germany: a natural experiment. Scientific reports, 10(1), 21780. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78438-4
• Spinelli, M., Lionetti, F., Pastore, M., & Fasolo, M., (2020). Parents’ stress and Children’s psychological problems in families facing the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1713.
• Ten Velde, G., Lubrecht, J., Arayess, L., van Loo, C., Hesselink, M., Reijnders, D., & Vreugdenhil, A. (2021). Physical activity behaviour and screen time in Dutch children during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Pre‐, during‐and post‐school closures. Pediatric Obesity, 16(9), e12779.
• Twenge, J. M., Spitzberg, B. H., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Less in-person social interaction with peers among US adolescents in the 21st century and links to loneliness. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(6), 1892-1913.
• World Health Organization. WHO announces COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Retrieved March 12,2020, from https://www.euro.who.int/en/healthtopics/healthemergencies/coronavirus-covid19/news/news/2020/3/who-announces-covid-19-outbreak-a-pandemic Xiang, M., Zhang, Z., & Kuwahara, K. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents' lifestyle behavior larger than expected. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 63(4), 531.
• Zhao, J., Xu, J., He, Y., & Xiang, M. (2022). Children and adolescents’ sleep patterns and their associations with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, China. Journal of Affective Disorders, 301, 337-344.