Physical Activity during COVID-19 in German Adults: Analyses in the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring Study (COSMO)

Theresa Maertl, Freia De Bock, Lena Huebl, Cornelia Oberhauser, Michaela Coenen, Caroline Jung-Sievers and on behalf of the COSMO Study Team
Additional contact information
Theresa Maertl: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology–IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Elisabeth-Winterhalter-Weg 6, 81377 Munich, Germany
Freia De Bock: Federal Centre for Health Education, Maarweg 149-161, 50825 Cologne, Germany
Lena Huebl: Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Cornelia Oberhauser: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology–IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Elisabeth-Winterhalter-Weg 6, 81377 Munich, Germany
Michaela Coenen: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology–IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Elisabeth-Winterhalter-Weg 6, 81377 Munich, Germany
Caroline Jung-Sievers: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology–IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Elisabeth-Winterhalter-Weg 6, 81377 Munich, Germany
on behalf of the COSMO Study Team: On behalf of the COSMO study team. Membership of the COSMO study team is provided in the Acknowledgments.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the resulting outbreak response measures in Germany and worldwide led to severe limitations in everyday life. This affected all sorts of daily activities and the possibility for physical activity (PA), which represents a major coping strategy against stress. The objective of this study was to analyse PA in German adults during a total lockdown phase including school closures in April 2020 in certain subgroups and in relation to other coping strategies. Data from the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring (COSMO) survey, an online cross-sectional study with 1034 participants between 18 and 74 years, were utilised (14/15 April 2020). In addition to descriptive analyses, the odds of performing PA according to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for adults (at least 2.5 h/week of at least moderate intensity) were analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. In total, 440 (42.6%) participants fulfilled this criterion. Participants with children <6 years were less likely to meet the WHO recommendation (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.33–0.78), while those with a higher level of education, good coping behaviour, regular alcohol consumption, and being satisfied with life were more likely to meet the WHO recommendation. In conclusion, PA intervention strategies tailored to specific vulnerable subgroups such as individuals with low educational background and parents with young children are needed in future pandemic response.

Keywords: COVID-19; physical activity; exercise; lockdown; health behaviours; coping strategies; family (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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