Time and Location: Physical Activity Trends in Parents and Children in a Rural Region During COVID-19.

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 restrictions altered the structure of the school and workday for families with children and led to changes in active transportation. Continued restrictions impacted access to many community locations and led to changes in physical activity (PA) behavior.

Purpose: The objectives of the study were to describe the changes in the 1) amount of PA time per day, 2) frequency of PA, and 3) sitting time. Information about how PA changed for parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic will have potential implications for education, public health, and recreation management.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enlisted participants via an online survey to evaluate their and their children's perceived PA behaviors before and during COVID-19. The study focused on parents in a rural Appalachian region within a Southeastern state, recruited through convenience sampling.

Results: About one-third of parents reported an increase in time (37%) and frequency (33%) while two-thirds either stayed the same or decreased. Parents' time spent sitting increased in over half of the sample (50.8%). Parent perceptions of their children's changes in PA indicate that 49.2% reported lower recreational (i.e., free/leisure) PA, 13.7% reported less time participating in PA overall, and 43.8% noted a decrease in the number of days their child was physically active per week.

Implications: Findings from this study show that trends in PA for rural families shifted during COVID-19 restrictions. Despite these restrictions, some parents demonstrated resilience by maintaining or increasing their PA levels. This highlights the need to further explore factors that support PA behaviors during periods of limited access to structured PA settings.