Centre for Exercise, Nutrition & Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 ITZ, UK.
Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2PS, UK.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2022 Sep 5;19(1):114. doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01356-3.
Active-6 is exploring how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted physical activity behaviour among Year 6 children (aged 10-11 years) and their parents in Southwest England. Initial findings from the Active-6 project have shown a 7-8 min decrease in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and an increase in sedentary behaviour among children following the easing of restrictions in the UK in latter half of 2021. This finding suggests that the pandemic has had a persistent impact on child physical activity behaviour. This paper explored the possible mechanisms behind these changes.
Interviews with parents (n = 21), members of school staff (n = 9) and focus groups with children aged 10-11 years (n = 47) were conducted between August and December 2021 to discuss the impact of the pandemic on child physical activity behaviour. The framework method was used for analysis.
Five themes spanning two key stages of the pandemic were described. Three themes related to the period of lockdowns and fluctuating restrictions (March 2020 - April 2021). These included: Theme 1) Lockdown: A short-lived adventure; Theme 2) Access to facilities during restrictions; and Theme 3) The importance of the parent. A further two themes were identified related to the period following the gradual easing of restrictions in April 2021. These included: Theme 4) An overwhelming return to normal; and Theme 5) Reopening fatigue.
The analysis suggested that feelings of novelty experienced during the initial stages of lockdown waned as restrictions were prolonged, creating an increasingly challenging period for parents and their children. However, during periods of restrictions, the importance of parental encouragement and access to appropriate facilities in the local and home environment helped facilitate physical activity. Following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, emotional overwhelm and physical fatigue among children, stemming from a sedentary and socially isolated life in lockdown and other restrictions, were key contributors to the decreased moderate to vigorous physical activity and increased sedentary behaviour that was observed in a related quantitative study.
Active-6 正在探索 COVID-19 大流行如何影响英格兰西南部六年级儿童（10-11 岁）及其父母的体育活动行为。Active-6 项目的初步研究结果表明，在 2021 年下半年英国放宽限制后，儿童的中等至剧烈体力活动减少了 7-8 分钟，久坐行为增加。这一发现表明，大流行对儿童的体力活动行为持续产生了影响。本文探讨了这些变化背后的可能机制。
2021 年 8 月至 12 月期间，对家长（n=21）、学校工作人员（n=9）进行了访谈，并与 10-11 岁的儿童进行了焦点小组讨论（n=47），讨论大流行对儿童体育活动行为的影响。采用框架方法进行分析。
描述了跨越大流行两个关键阶段的五个主题。前三个主题与封锁和波动限制期间（2020 年 3 月至 2021 年 4 月）有关。这些主题包括：主题 1）封锁：短暂的冒险；主题 2）在限制期间使用设施；以及主题 3）父母的重要性。另外两个主题与 2021 年 4 月逐步放宽限制后相关。这些主题包括：主题 4）压倒性地回归正常；以及主题 5）重新开放疲劳。
分析表明，随着限制的延长，封锁初期的新鲜感逐渐消失，这给家长和孩子带来了越来越大的挑战。然而，在限制期间，父母的鼓励和在当地及家庭环境中获得适当设施的重要性有助于促进体育活动。在 COVID-19 限制放宽后，儿童因封锁和其他限制导致的久坐和社交隔离生活而产生的情绪和身体疲劳，是导致中度至剧烈体力活动减少和久坐行为增加的主要原因，这在一项相关的定量研究中得到了观察。
