Changes in Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Adults Living in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The National Health Interview Survey, 2020 and 2022.

Abstract

Background: It is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted population-level physical activity patterns. National surveillance data were used to examine 2-year changes in reported physical activity across several different sociodemographic subgroups of adults living in the United States.

Methods: The National Health Interview Survey uses geographically clustered sampling to ensure a nationally representative study sample. Data on leisure-time physical activity were collected from adult (≥18 y) respondents in the early (2020 [N = 31,622] and the late phase of the pandemic (2022 [N = 27,711]). Minutes per week of moderate-intensity (MPA) and vigorous-intensity physical activity and the prevalence of meeting the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines were compared between 2020 and 2022 according to sex, race, age, educational attainment, and geographical location using regression modeling.

Results: Between 2020 and 2022, minutes of MPA increased from 236 to 257 minutes per week (P < .001), while vigorous-intensity physical activity remained stable at 157 minutes per week. These observed increases in MPA were greater in men than in women (P < .001); greater among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic Asian respondents (P < .05), compared with other races; and greater in those with a high school (P < .001) and a postsecondary education (P < .01) than in those with lower educational attainment. In 2020 and 2022, only 24% of Americans met both the aerobic and the muscle-strengthening recommendations, and this prevalence also varied markedly by demographic subgroup.

Conclusions: The increase in MPA following the COVID-19 pandemic is encouraging; however, it was not equally distributed across population sectors. Greater resources are needed to promote active lifestyles for all Americans.