Self-reported changes in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and screen time among informal caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic

BMC Public Health

Steven A. Cohen¹  Mary L. Greaney¹  Deborah Riebe²  Christie L. Ward-Ritacco²  Zachary J. Kunicki³  Megan M. Drohan⁴ 

[1] Department of Health Studies, University of Rhode Island, 25 West Independent Way, 02881, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA;Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA;Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA;Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA;

关键词: COVID-19;    Informal caregivers;    Physical activity;    Screen time;    Sedentary behavior;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-021-11294-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundInformal caregivers providing unpaid assistance may be vulnerable to changes in health behaviors due to modifications in caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this cross-sectional study explored self-reported changes in physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and screen time among informal caregivers providing care for older adults aged 50+ during the pandemic.MethodsStudy participants were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and reported their perceived changes (increased a lot, increased a little, remained the same, decreased a little, decreased a lot) in moderate-intensity PA (MPA), vigorous-intensity PA (VPA), sedentary behavior, and screen time (weekday and weekend) during the pandemic. For analytic purposes, response categories were categorized into three-level ordinal variables—increased (increased a lot, increased a little), no change (remained the same), decreased (decreased a little, decreased a lot). Multinomial logistic regression models assessed the likelihood of changes (vs. no change) in  MPA,  VPA, sedentary behavior, and screen time (weekday, weekend) based on caregiving and demographic characteristics.ResultsIn total, 2574 individuals accessed the study link, 464 of whom did not meet eligibility requirements. In addition, people who completed 80% or less of the survey (n = 1171) and/or duplicate IP addresse (n = 104) were excluded, resulting in an analytic sample of n = 835. The sample was 69% male, had a mean age of 34 (SD = 9.7), and 48% reported increased VPA, while 55% reported increased MPA. The majority also reported increased sedentary behavior, as well as increased screen time. Respondents living with their care recipient were more likely to report increased weekday screen time (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.55, 95% CI 1.11–2.16) and sedentary behavior (OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.28–2.53) than respondents not living with the care recipient. Those living with their care recipient were also more likely to reported increased MPA (OR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.16–2.32), and VPA (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.09–2.15), but also more likely to report a decrease in VPA (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.14–2.70).ConclusionThe majority of respondents reported that their MPA, VPA PA, sedentary behavior, and screen time had changed during the pandemic. Living with the care recipient was associated with both positive and negative changes in behavior. Future research can explore factors associated with these reported changes in behavior.

【 授权许可】

CC BY