Physical Inactivity in Youth During COVID-19: A Narrative Review

The prevalence of physical inactivity in youth during COVID-19 has varied across countries and depending on the age of the youth and whether the data were collected during lockdown versus non-lockdown. In studies that compared activity pre-and during COVID, activity decreased in 40-59% of youth. Several negative effects have been noted, including excessive screen time, sleep problems, over-eating, and affective disturbances. Physical inactivity was a significant correlate of all of these problems. Relatively little intervention research has been conducted, and underlying mechanisms have not been explored. As in most of the COVID-19 literature, this research has the limitations of being typically cross-sectional and self-reported.