Physical Activity, Sleep, and Screen Time in Children and Adolescents Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of the 2019-2020 National Survey of Children’s Health

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented changes in people’s lifestyles across the United States, but the extent to which the pandemic affected health behaviors of children and adolescents (i.e., physical activity, screen-time, and sleep) is not well understood. These behaviors hold particular significance because of their association with health outcomes. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether engagement in health behaviors changed from pre-pandemic (2019) to during the pandemic (2020). Methods The combined 2019-2020 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) was used to inform this study. The NSCH is an annual survey designed to provide national estimates of key indicators of childhood health and well-being. Physical activity (number of days/week with >60 min of activity), screen-time (hours/day of TV viewing and computer use), and sleep (hours/day) were assessed by parental report. Adjusted binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine the association between survey year and health behaviors. Results Children and adolescents were 36% more likely to be physically inactive in 2020 compared to 2019. Additionally, children and adolescents were 14% more likely to meet sleep guidelines and 39% less likely to meet screen-time guidelines in 2020 compared to 2019, independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and poverty level. Children (6-13 year) and adolescents (14-17 years) were 10% and 15% less likely to get below the recommended amount of sleep in 2020 compared to 2019, respectively. Conclusion Prevalence of meeting sleep guidelines increased among children and adolescents in 2020 but decreased for physical activity and screen-time. Initiatives targeting activity and screen-time may be urgently needed. Whether rates of these health behaviors return to pre-pandemic levels over the next few years should be closely assessed.