The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mobility trends and the associated rise in population-level physical inactivity: insights from international mobile phone and national survey data.
Dobbie, Laurence J Hydes, Theresa J Alam, Uazman Tahrani, Abd Cuthbertson, Daniel J
Dobbie, Laurence J
Hydes, Theresa J
Alam, Uazman
Tahrani, Abd
Cuthbertson, Daniel J
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced physical activity (PA) levels. This is important as physical inactivity is linked to poor COVID-19 outcomes. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on greenspace and residence mobility, walking levels and in turn how these translated to trends in (UK) PA levels.
Methods: Google Mobility Reports, the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and Apple Mobility geospatial datasets were interrogated for international data. Residence mobility represents home mobility, greenspace mobility includes parks, walking direction requests is proportion of walking directions; stringency index measures lockdown intensity. The Sports England Active Lives Survey dataset was assessed for complementary changes in English PA levels.
Results: Using mobility data of 10 countries we observed that during lockdown there were reductions in greenspace mobility and walking directions alongside increased residence mobility; more pronounced changes were seen in countries with higher stringency indices. From a UK perspective, complementary English PA survey data demonstrated the impact of these mobility changes on the proportion and demographic characteristics of PA levels. The most vulnerable in society, the elderly (ages 75+) and Black and Asian minority ethnicity (BAME) individuals were more likely to become physically inactive.
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic reduced greenspace mobility and walking direction requests globally. Complementary assessment of English PA levels demonstrated a greater proportion of the population became inactive. Demographics (75+ and BAME) prone to worse COVID-19 outcomes became disproportionately inactive. UK Urban planning should prioritize greenspace development. This could improve city walkability and PA levels.
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Date
2022-03-14
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Dobbie LJ, Hydes TJ, Alam U, Tahrani A, Cuthbertson DJ. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mobility Trends and the Associated Rise in Population-Level Physical Inactivity: Insights From International Mobile Phone and National Survey Data. Front Sports Act Living. 2022 Mar 14;4:773742. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.773742