Changes in the 24-Hour Movement Behavior of Korean Adolescents Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose:This study was performed to analyze the changes in the 24-hour movement behavior of Korean adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, focusing on physical activity (PA) pattern. Methods:The study used data obtained from the 15th (2019) and 16th (2020) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, targeting a total of 112,251 adolescents.For assessing the changes before and during the pandemic, complex samples cross-tabulation and logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI).Results: During the pandemic, as compared to before the pandemic, the rate of male students who met the PA guidelines (a total of ≥60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity daily) decreased.The rate of students who met the sedentary behavior (SB) guidelines (recreational SB of ＜2 hours/day) decreased by about 50%, and there was no significant change in sleep.The OR (95% CI) for students who complied with 24-hour movement behavior guidelines was 0.69 (0.56-0.85).Conversely, the OR (95% CI) for students who were not compliant with any of the three recommendations was 1.50 (1.41-1.61).A notable finding is the rate of students who met the vigorous PA (3 days/week) decreased, but the rate of students who met the strength training (3 days/week) increased during the pandemic, which suggests the possibilities for a new trend in PA in the upcoming post-COVID-19 era.Conclusion: Policymakers should pay attention to changes in movement behaviors observed in adolescents during the pandemic and use the current crisis as an opportunity to respond to the post-COVID-19 era.