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Physical Activity during the First Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the Reliance on Digital Technologies, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and the Impact of Affect

Author

Listed:
  • Michelle Symons

    (Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Carmem Meira Cunha

    (Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Economics, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Karolien Poels

    (Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Heidi Vandebosch

    (Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Nathalie Dens

    (Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Economics, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Clara Alida Cutello

    (Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Economics, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

Abstract

The measures to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have been concentrated on inviting people to stay at home. This has reduced opportunities to exercise while also shedding some light on the importance of physical health. Based on an online survey, this paper investigated physical activity behaviours of a Belgians sample ( n = 427) during the lockdown period between the end of May 2020 and the beginning of June 2020 and found that, during this period, the gap between sufficiently and insufficiently active individuals widened even more. This paper analysed important moderators of physical activity behaviours, such as barriers and benefits to exercise, digital support used to exercise, and individuals’ emotional well-being. Descriptive analysis and analyses of variance indicated that, generally, individuals significantly increased their engagement in exercise, especially light- and moderate-intensity activities, mostly accepted the listed benefits but refused the listed barriers, increased their engagement in digital support and did not score high on any affective measures. A comparison between sufficiently active and insufficiently active individuals during the lockdown showed that the former engaged even more in physical activity, whereas the latter exercised equally (i.e., not enough) or even less compared to before the lockdown. By means of a logistic regression, five key factors of belonging to the sufficiently active group were revealed and discussed. Practical implications for government and policies are reviewed.

Suggested Citation

  • Michelle Symons & Carmem Meira Cunha & Karolien Poels & Heidi Vandebosch & Nathalie Dens & Clara Alida Cutello, 2021. "Physical Activity during the First Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the Reliance on Digital Technologies, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and the Impact of Affect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-23, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:11:p:5555-:d:560141
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    2. Natan Feter & Tiago Silva Santos & Eduardo Lucia Caputo & Marcelo Cozzensa Silva, 2019. "What is the role of smartphones on physical activity promotion? A systematic review and meta-analysis," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 64(5), pages 679-690, June.
    3. Kim Usher & Navjot Bhullar & Debra Jackson, 2020. "Life in the pandemic: Social isolation and mental health," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(15-16), pages 2756-2757, August.
    4. Lister, C. & Royne, M. & Payne, H.E. & Cannon, B. & Hanson, C. & Barnes, M., 2015. "The laugh model: Reframing and rebranding public health through social media," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(11), pages 2245-2251.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yu Zhang & Jiayu Li & Xiaoping Jiang, 2022. "Household Physical Activity for Adults in the Context of the Pandemic: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Eszter Füzéki & Jan Schröder & Rüdiger Reer & David A. Groneberg & Winfried Banzer, 2022. "Going Online?—Can Online Exercise Classes during COVID-19-Related Lockdowns Replace in-Person Offers?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Carmem M. Cunha & Nathalie Dens & Georg D. Granic, 2023. "University Students’ Well-Being and Engagement in Activities in the Early Days of Covid-19," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 279-303, February.

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