Early Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity Locations and Behaviors in Adults Living in the U.S.: Differences by Ethnicity and Income

Purpose: To examine the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity in adults during the first two months of restrictions in the U.S. Method: Adults (N = 268) completed an online survey between April 10-May 25, 2020. Participants reported minutes of vigorous, moderate, and walking physical activity for the past 7 days (early-COVID-19) and for a typical week in February 2020 (pre-COVID-19). Past 12-month step count data were extracted from participants’ personal smartphones. Results: Participants (18-74 years old, 22% Hispanic/Latino, 81% female, 41% overweight/obese) showed reductions in vigorous (Mdiff=-66.9 min/week), moderate (Mdiff=-92.4 min/week), walking (Mdiff-70.8 min/week), and step counts (Mdiff=-2232 steps/day) from the pre- to early-COVID-19 periods. Reductions in walking and steps were larger for low-income and Hispanic/Latino adults. Conclusion: Higher risk population sub-groups may be more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of its impact on health-related behaviors.