Impact of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on 24-h movement behaviours among children in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey.
Yazeed A Alanazi, Anne-Maree Parrish, Anthony D Okely
PMID 35288957WHAT IT FOUND
Only 3.4% of Saudi children aged 6-12 met all physical activity, screen time and sleep guidelines during COVID-19 restrictions.
Parents reported less outdoor play and more screen and social media use, especially in girls.
Key findings
01Only 3.4% of children met all three physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep recommendations.
02Compared with before COVID-19, parents reported less time in outdoor physical activity (average 2.16 of 5.0) and more time watching TV or playing sedentary video games (average 3.28 of 5.0) and using social media (average 3.54 of 5.0).
03Parents of girls perceived greater decreases in indoor physical activity (average 2.85 of 5.0) and greater increases in watching TV or playing sedentary video games (average 3.49 of 5.0) and using social media (average 4.08 of 5.0) than boys.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used parent-reported online questionnaires, so movement behaviours were subjective and not measured by devices. 2799 parents started but did not complete the questionnaire, and it is not known whether they differed from those who completed it. The sample included more mothers and was slightly older than the Saudi population. The study asked parents to report changes compared with before COVID-19, rather than measuring children before and during the pandemic. The authors used movement guidelines from other countries because Saudi guidelines did not exist at the time. It was a cross-sectional survey, so it cannot show that COVID-19 restrictions caused the reported changes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No specific funding source is stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that COVID-19 restrictions caused these behaviour changes or that any therapy can reverse them. The study is a cross-sectional parent report of perceived changes, and it did not test a treatment.