Objective Behavioral Measures in Children before, during, and after the COVID-19 Lockdown in Israel

Einat Shneor, Ravid Doron, Jonathan Levine, Deena Rachel Zimmerman, Julia S. Benoit, Lisa A. Ostrin and Ariela Gordon-Shaag
Additional contact information
Einat Shneor: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 9101001, Israel
Ravid Doron: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 9101001, Israel
Jonathan Levine: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 9101001, Israel
Deena Rachel Zimmerman: Maternal Child and Adolescent Division Public Health Services, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem 9101002, Israel
Julia S. Benoit: Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, Houston, TX 77004, USA
Lisa A. Ostrin: College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
Ariela Gordon-Shaag: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 9101001, Israel

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-15

Abstract: Studies using questionnaires report that COVID-19 restrictions resulted in children spending significantly less time outdoors. This study used objective measures to assess the impact of pandemic-related restrictions on children’s behavior. A total of 19 healthy 8–12-year-old boys were observed before and during social restriction periods. Of these, 11 boys were reassessed after restrictions were lifted. For each session, Actiwatches were dispensed for measures of time outdoors, activity, and sleep. Changes overall and by school status were assessed using signed-rank test and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. During restrictions, children spent significantly less time outdoors ( p = 0.001), were less active ( p = 0.001), and spent less time engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( p = 0.004). Sleep duration was not significantly different between sessions ( p > 0.99), but bedtime and wake time shifted to a later time during restrictions ( p < 0.05 for both). Time outdoors and activity returned close to pre-pandemic levels after restrictions were lifted ( p > 0.05 for both). Children’s behaviors significantly changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction in outdoor light exposure is of importance due to the role of light in the etiology of myopia and vitamin D production. The reduction in physical activity may have negative health effects in terms of obesity and depression, although further research is required to ascertain the long-term effects.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic; myopia; sleep; physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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