Regional Differences in the Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity Among Chinese Adults: A Social-Ecological Perspective

PURPOSE: Physical activity confers benefits by mitigating the adverse physical and mental effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Nevertheless, during a public health crisis, in which group-based physical activity is restricted, participation in such activities may be influenced not only by social distancing policies, but also by individual and environmental factors. As such, this study adopted a socio-ecological perspective to explore the impact of multidimensional factors on physical activity across diverse regions during the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) were used. A total of 8148 respondents from 12 provinces and metropolitan cities were pooled. Two types of physical activity (walking and moderate-to-vigorous exercise) were included in the statistical tests. A three-step hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze the incremental predictive power of factors related to intrapersonal, interpersonal and community resources for physical activity.RESULTS: Findings highlighted the significance of intrapersonal (e.g., age, sex, socio-economic status, health status, and household registration area), interpersonal (e.g., neighborhood help and friendship), and community (e.g., exercise facility, fresh food accessibility, public facility, and residential safety) resources. These factors were significantly associated with Chinese adults’ participation in physical activity across various regions.CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study provide an initial validation of the socio-ecological approach to studying physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that strategies aimed at promoting the benefits of exercise should include multiple factors that influence the likelihood of Chinese adults engaging in physical activity.