No Evidence for a Decrease in Physical Activity Among Swiss Office Workers During COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study

Andrea Martina Aegerter, Manja Deforth, Gisela Sjøgaard, Venerina Johnston, Thomas Volken, Hannu Luomajoki, Julia Dratva, Holger Dressel, Oliver Distler, Markus Melloh, Achim Elfering, NEXpro Collaboration Group, Andrea M Aegerter, Marco Barbero, Beatrice Brunner, Jon Cornwall, Yara Da Cruz Pereira, Md, Od, Jd, Hd, Tobias Egli, Ae, Markus J Ernst, Irene Etzer-Hofer, Deborah Falla, Michelle Gisler, Michelle Haas, Vj, Sandro Klaus, Gina M Kobelt, Kerstin Lüdtke, Hl, Mm, Corinne Nicoletti, Seraina Niggli, Achim Nüssle, Salome Richard, Nadine Sax, Katja Schülke, Gs, Lukas Staub, Tv, Thomas Zweig, Andrea Martina Aegerter, Manja Deforth, Gisela Sjøgaard, Venerina Johnston, Thomas Volken, Hannu Luomajoki, Julia Dratva, Holger Dressel, Oliver Distler, Markus Melloh, Achim Elfering, NEXpro Collaboration Group, Andrea M Aegerter, Marco Barbero, Beatrice Brunner, Jon Cornwall, Yara Da Cruz Pereira, Md, Od, Jd, Hd, Tobias Egli, Ae, Markus J Ernst, Irene Etzer-Hofer, Deborah Falla, Michelle Gisler, Michelle Haas, Vj, Sandro Klaus, Gina M Kobelt, Kerstin Lüdtke, Hl, Mm, Corinne Nicoletti, Seraina Niggli, Achim Nüssle, Salome Richard, Nadine Sax, Katja Schülke, Gs, Lukas Staub, Tv, Thomas Zweig

Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 lockdown interrupted normal daily activities, which may have led to an increase in sedentary behavior (Castelnuovo et al., 2020). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the level of physical activity among Swiss office workers.

Methods: Office workers from two Swiss organizations, aged 18-65 years, were included. Baseline data from January 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic became effective in Switzerland were compared with follow-up data during the lockdown phase in April 2020. Levels of physical activity were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Paired sample t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed for statistical analysis.

Results: Data from 76 participants were analyzed. Fifty-four participants were female (71.1%). The mean age was 42.7 years (range from 21.8 to 62.7) at baseline. About 75% of the participants met the recommendations on minimal physical activity, both before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the lockdown. Weak statistical evidence for a decline in total physical activity in metabolic equivalent of task minutes per week (MET min/week) was found (estimate = -292, 95% CI from - ∞ to 74, p-value = 0.09), with no evidence for a decrease in the three types of activity: walking (estimate = -189, 95% CI from - ∞ to 100, p-value = 0.28), moderate-intensity activity (estimate = -200, 95% CI from - ∞ to 30, p-value = 0.22) and vigorous-intensity activity (estimate = 80, 95% CI from - ∞ to 460, p-value = 0.74). Across the three categories "high," "moderate," and "low" physical activity, 17% of the participants became less active during the lockdown while 29% became more active.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic did not result in a reduction in total physical activity levels among a sample of Swiss office workers during the first weeks of lockdown. Improved work-life balance and working times may have contributed to this finding.

Clinical trial registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04169646. Registered 15 November 2019 - Retrospectively registered, https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT04169646.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; health promotion; lockdown; physical exercise; public health; shutdown.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2021 Aegerter, Deforth, Sjøgaard, Johnston, Volken, Luomajoki, Dratva, Dressel, Distler, Melloh, Elfering and the NEXpro Collaboration Group.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Study flow-chart.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Physical activity in MET min/week at baseline (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and follow-up (during the lockdown).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Physical activity categories at baseline (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and follow-up (during the lockdown). The mosaic plot shows three horizontal bars, with one bar per category of physical activity (“low,” “moderate,” and “high”). The colored areas of the horizontal bars represent the proportion of the study participants which reached the physical activity categories “high” (light gray), “moderate” (gray), and “low” (dark gray) at follow-up. The numbers represent the number of participants.

References

    1. Aegerter A. M., Deforth M., Johnston V., Ernst M. J., Volken T., Luomajoki H., et al. (2020). On-site multi-component intervention to improve productivity and reduce the economic and personal burden of neck pain in Swiss office-workers (NEXpro): protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculosk. Disord. 21:391. 10.1186/s12891-020-03388-x
    1. Ammar A., Brach M., Trabelsi K., Chtourou H., Boukhris O., Masmoudi L., et al. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 home confinement on eating behaviour and physical activity: results of the ECLB-COVID19 international online Survey. Nutrients 12:1583. 10.3390/nu12061583
    1. Baik I., Curhan G. C., Rimm E. B., Bendich A., Willett W. C., Fawzi W. W. (2000). A prospective study of age and lifestyle factors in relation to community-acquired pneumonia in US men and women. Arch. Int. Med. 160 3082–3088. 10.1001/archinte.160.20.3082
    1. Bland M. (2015). An Introduction to Medical Statistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    1. Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) (2020). Schweizerische Arbeitskrafterhebung (SAKE). Available online at . (accessed 09.01.2021).
    1. Castelnuovo G., De Giorgio A., Manzoni G. M., Treadway D. C., Mohiyeddini C. (2020). Psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal effects and clinical implications for health systems of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: a call for research. Front. psychol. 11:2146. 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02146
    1. Chandrasekaran B., Ganesan T. B. (2020). Sedentarism and chronic disease risk in COVID 19 lockdown – a scoping review. Scott. Med. J. 0036933020946336. [Epub ahead of print].
    1. Chirico A., Lucidi F., Galli F., Giancamilli F., Vitale J., Borghi S., et al. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak and physical activity in the Italian population: a cross-sectional analysis of the underlying psychosocial mechanisms. Front. Psychol. 11:2100. 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02100
    1. Chtourou H., Trabelsi K., H’mida C., Boukhris O., Glenn J. M., Brach M., et al. (2020). Staying physically active during the quarantine and self-isolation period for controlling and mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic overview of the literature. Front. Psychol. 11:1708. 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01708
    1. Constandt B., Thibaut E., De Bosscher V., Scheerder J., Ricour M., Willem A. (2020). Exercising in times of lockdown: an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on levels and patterns of exercise among adults in Belgium. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17:4144. 10.3390/ijerph17114144
    1. Cooney G. M., Dwan K., Greig C. A., Lawlor D. A., Rimer J., Waugh F. R., et al. (2013). Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 12:CD004366.
    1. Craig C. L., Marshall A. L., Sjostrom M., Bauman A. E., Booth M. L., Ainsworth B. E., et al. (2003). International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 35 1381–1395. 10.1249/01.mss.0000078924.61453.fb
    1. Denay K. L., Breslow R. G., Turner M. N., Nieman D. C., Roberts W. O., Best T. M. (2020). ACSM call to action statement: COVID-19 considerations for sports and physical activity. Curr. Sports Med. Rep. 19 326–328. 10.1249/jsr.0000000000000739
    1. Di Stefano V., Battaglia G., Giustino V., Gagliardo A., D’Aleo M., Giannini O., et al. (2020). Significant reduction of physical activity in patients with neuromuscular disease during COVID-19 pandemic: the long-term consequences of quarantine. J. Neurol. 268 20–26. 10.1007/s00415-020-10064-6
    1. Ding D., del Pozo Cruz B., Green M. A., Bauman A. E. (2020). Is the COVID-19 lockdown nudging people to be more active: a big data analysis. Br. J. Sports Med. 54 1183–1184. 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102575
    1. Fagaras S.-P., Radu L.-E., Vanvu G. (2015). The level of physical activity of university students. Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 197 1454–1457.
    1. Gibbs B. B., Hergenroeder A. L., Katzmarzyk P. T., Lee I. M., Jakicic J. M. (2015). Definition, measurement, and health risks associated with sedentary behavior. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 47 1295–1300. 10.1249/mss.0000000000000517
    1. Hammig O., Knecht M., Laubli T., Bauer G. F. (2011). Work-life conflict and musculoskeletal disorders: a cross-sectional study of an unexplored association. BMC Musculosk. Disord. 12:60. 10.1186/1471-2474-12-60
    1. IPAQ group (2020). Guidelines for data Processing and Analysis of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) – Short and Long Forms. 2005. Available from: . (accessed August 19, 2020).
    1. Kirsch Micheletti J., Bláfoss R., Sundstrup E., Bay H., Pastre C. M., Andersen L. L. (2019). Association between lifestyle and musculoskeletal pain: cross-sectional study among 10,000 adults from the general working population. BMC Musculosk. Disord. 20:609. 10.1186/s12891-019-3002-5
    1. Lamprecht M., Bürgi R., Stamm H. (2020). Sport Schweiz 2020: Sportaktivität und Sportinteresse der Schweizer Bevölkerung. Magglingen: Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.
    1. Lee P. H., Macfarlane D. J., Lam T. H., Stewart S. M. (2011). Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF): a systematic review. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Activ. 8:115. 10.1186/1479-5868-8-115
    1. Lesser I. A., Nienhuis C. P. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on physical activity behavior and well-being of Canadians. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17:3899. 10.3390/ijerph17113899
    1. López-Bueno R., Calatayud J., Andersen L. L., Balsalobre-Fernández C., Casaña J., Casajús J. A., et al. (2020). Immediate impact of the COVID-19 confinement on physical activity levels in Spanish adults. Sustainability 12 1–10.
    1. Magnon V., Vallet G. T., Auxiette C. (2018). Sedentary behavior at work and cognitive functioning: a systematic review. Front. Public Health 6:239. 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00239
    1. McDowell C. P., Dishman R. K., Gordon B. R., Herring M. P. (2019). Physical activity and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Am. J. Prevent. Med. 57 545–556. 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.05.012
    1. MeteoSchweiz (2020). Klimabulletin April 2020. Zürich: Bundesamt für Meteorologie und Klimatologie MeteoSchweiz.
    1. Meyer J., McDowell C., Lansing J., Brower C., Smith L., Tully M., et al. (2020). Changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior in response to COVID-19 and their associations with mental health in 3052 US Adults. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17:6469. 10.3390/ijerph17186469
    1. Nelson M. E., Rejeski W. J., Blair S. N., Duncan P. W., Judge J. O., King A. C., et al. (2007). Physical activity and public health in older adults: recommendation from the American college of sports medicine and the American heart association. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 39 1435–1445. 10.1249/mss.0b013e3180616aa2
    1. Pedersen M. T., Blangsted A. K., Andersen L. L., Jørgensen M. B., Hansen E. A., Sjøgaard G. (2009). The effect of worksite physical activity intervention on physical capacity, health, and productivity: a 1-year randomized controlled trial. J. Occupat. Environ. Med. 51 759–770. 10.1097/jom.0b013e3181a8663a
    1. Qin F., Song Y., Nassis G. P., Zhao L., Dong Y., Zhao C., et al. (2020). Physical activity, screen time, and emotional well-being during the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17:5170. 10.3390/ijerph17145170
    1. R Core Team (2020). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Veinna: R Foundation for Statistical Cumputing.
    1. Radtke T., Haile S. R., Dressel H., Benden C. (2020). Recommended shielding against COVID-19 impacts physical activity levels in adults with cystic fibrosis. J. Cyst. Fibros. 19 875–879. 10.1016/j.jcf.2020.08.013
    1. Ruiz-Roso M. B., Knott-Torcal C., Matilla-Escalante D. C., Garcimartín A., Sampedro-Nuñez M. A., Dávalos A., et al. (2020). COVID-19 lockdown and changes of the dietary pattern and physical activity habits in a cohort of patients with TYPE 2 diabetes Mellitus. Nutrients 12:2327. 10.3390/nu12082327
    1. Sember V., Meh K., Soriæ M., Starc G., Rocha P., Jurak G. (2020). Validity and reliability of international physical activity questionnaires for adults across EU countries: systematic review and meta analysis. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17:7161. 10.3390/ijerph17197161
    1. Smith L., Jacob L., Butler L., Schuch F., Barnett Y., Grabovac I., et al. (2020). Prevalence and correlates of physical activity in a sample of UK adults observing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 6 e000850. 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000850
    1. Tek N. A., Mortas H., Arslan S., Tatar T., Köse S. (2020). The physical activity level is low in young adults: a pilot study from Turkey. Am. J. Public Health Res. 8 7–13.
    1. Ting J. Z. R., Chen X., Johnston V. (2019). Workplace-based exercise intervention improves work ability in office workers: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 16:2633. 10.3390/ijerph16152633
    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edn. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
    1. Vetrovsky T., Frybova T., Gant I., Semerad M., Cimler R., Bunc V., et al. (2020). The detrimental effect of COVID-19 nationwide quarantine on accelerometer-assessed physical activity of heart failure patients. ESC Heart Fail. 7 2093–2097. 10.1002/ehf2.12916
    1. von Elm E., Altman D. G., Egger M., Pocock S. J., Gøtzsche P. C., Vandenbroucke J. P. (2007). Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 61 344–349. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.11.008
    1. World Health Organization (2010). Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. Geneva: World Health Organization Press.
    1. World health statistics (2020). Monitoring Health for the SDGs, SUSTAINABLE Development Goals. Geneva: World Health Organization.
    1. Zheng Z., Peng F., Xu B., Zhao J., Liu H., Peng J., et al. (2020). Risk factors of critical & mortal COVID-19 cases: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. J. Infect. 81 e16–e25. 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.04.021

Source: PubMed

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

3
Subscribe