Parents' perception of physical activity and psychological well-being of children during the COVID-19 lockdown in Serbia

Abstract

The importance of physical activity (PA) for the psychological well-being of children is well documented. COVID-19 lockdown implied a severe reduction in organized and unorganized PA. Our goal was to examine how parents perceive their children's PA and their own PA related behaviours during the first month of COVID-19 lockdown in Serbia compared to the usual circumstances, to investigate the relationship between parents' evaluations of PA and children's PA level during the lockdown, and to examine the relationship between children's PA level and changes in psychological well-being and daily routines. The sample included 127 parents of preschool and school children. We constructed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic information, parents' ratings of children's PA, their own children's PA-related behaviours, their evaluations of children's PA engagement before and during the lockdown, and their perception of psychological well-being and daily routines of their children during the lockdown. Results showed that the amount of daily PA in children decreased during the lockdown, especially the organized forms, which indicated that online PA programs have failed to replace regular PE classes and sports training. Also, parents valued regular forms of organized PA more than their online counterparts. We confirmed the relationship between parental evaluations and children's PA and showed that it depends on the specific aspect of PA the parents valued. Parents perceived that changes in children's psychological well-being and daily routines during the lockdown were of moderate intensity. PA frequency was related to attention, mood swings and PC and TV use. Our study offers several practical recommendations for children's PA in restrictive circumstances.