Impacts of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on leisure and transportation physical activity among healthcare workers

Aline Rachel Bezerra Gurgel; Jean Augusto Coelho Guimarães; Patricia Chakur Brum; Antonio Carlos Pedroso de Lima; Pedro Giavina-Bianchi; Carlos Henrique Mesquita Peres; Maria Cristina Peres Braido Francisco; Lanuse Garcia Neves Dos Santos; Rita de Cassia Cezar Santos; Roseli Eliana Beseggio Santos; Aline Corá; Alberto José da Silva Duarte; Carolina Dos Santos Lazari; Antonio Jose Pereira; Ester Cerdeira Sabino; Felipe Corchs; Aluísio Cotrim Segurado; Silvia Figueiredo Costa; Anna S Levin

doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102587

Impacts of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on leisure and transportation physical activity among healthcare workers

Prev Med Rep. 2024 Jan 6:38:102587. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102587. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Aline Rachel Bezerra Gurgel¹, Jean Augusto Coelho Guimarães¹, Patricia Chakur Brum^{1

2}, Antonio Carlos Pedroso de Lima³, Pedro Giavina-Bianchi⁴, Carlos Henrique Mesquita Peres⁵, Maria Cristina Peres Braido Francisco⁵, Lanuse Garcia Neves Dos Santos⁶, Rita de Cassia Cezar Santos⁶, Roseli Eliana Beseggio Santos⁶, Aline Corá⁶, Alberto José da Silva Duarte⁶, Carolina Dos Santos Lazari⁶, Antonio Jose Pereira⁷, Ester Cerdeira Sabino⁸, Felipe Corchs⁹, Aluísio Cotrim Segurado^{10

11}, Silvia Figueiredo Costa¹¹, Anna S Levin^{10

11}

Affiliations

¹ School of Physical Education and Sport, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
² Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
³ Instituto de Matemática e Estatística, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁴ Clinical Immunology and Allergy Division, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
⁵ Hospital das Clinicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁶ Divisão de Laboratório Central, Hospital das Clinicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
⁷ Covid-19 Emergency Committee, Hospital das Clinicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁸ LIM-46, Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁹ Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Hospital das Clinicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
¹⁰ Divisão de Moléstias Infecciosas, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
¹¹ LIM-49, Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic may lead to reduced physical activity (PA) in health care workers (HCWs).

Objective: To evaluate leisure and transport-related PA in HCW of a COVID-19-dedicated hospital during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1,527 HCWs. Socioeconomic aspects, occupational characteristics, and engagement in leisure and transport-related PA were investigated through an online survey administered in August of 2020.

Results: More than 80 % HCWs performed < 150 min/week of leisure-related PA, and 85 % performed ≤ 30 min/day transport-related PA. Being male was associated with more PA (OR: 1.93; 95 % CI:1.40-2.66) and transport-related PA; working in nursing, physical therapy, and cleaning/housekeeping services was associated with low PA (OR: 0.70; 95 % CI:0.51-0.95). Physicians and administrative staff were less active in transport-related PA.

Conclusions: HCWs working in a COVID-19 hospital had low levels of PA in the domains of leisure and transportation.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Healthcare workers; Physical activity; SARS-CoV-2.