A series of in-depth interviews undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic with young people living in socioeconomically deprived communities has highlighted the impact of the pandemic on their mental and physical health. The authors of the research paper published in BMC Public Health today write that the pandemic may have exacerbated existing inequalities, and call for efforts to support the physical and mental health of young people living in the context of socioeconomic deprivation to be prioritised.

Young people, physical activity and the Covid-19 pandemic

The amount of physical activity in adolescents is low across the world, with earlier research indicating that less than 10% of 11-to-17-year-olds meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per day, which is concerning considering the critical importance of physical activity to health. Emerging evidence also indicated that there was a decrease in young people’s daily moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that this was exacerbated by socioeconomic inequality.

In the APAD-C study, Dr Olivia Alliot of the MRC Epidemiology Unit and colleagues aimed explore the perspectives of adolescents living in deprived communities on their physical activity behaviour and how the Covid-19 pandemic influenced it, and their ideas for the promotion of physical activity in adolescents in future.

In-depth exploration of adolescents’ experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic

Using a combination of recruitment through schools and community groups, social media advertising, and peer-to-peer referrals, the researchers recruited a mixed-gender group of 16 older adolescents (13-18-year-old), who were all living in one of the 20% most deprived areas in the UK, as defined by the UK Index of Multiple Deprivation. Between July 2021 and March 2022 they conducted a mix of in-person and online one-to-one semi-structured interviews which were were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and anonymised.

The young people interviewed often labelled themselves as inactive, though most active during the week through travel to school, Physical Education (PE) and dance lessons, housework and caring roles, and unstructured activity such as skateboarding and football at the park. Barriers they identified to being active included lack of transport to activities and having an after-school job, which meant they couldn’t attend after-school sports clubs, with one 16 year-old male commenting:

…but that’s like for after school and I know that a lot of people like wouldn’t be able to do stuff like that because obviously they have to get home like early or something like that and they have to get the bus and some people have job they have to do”

Other barriers to participation included vandalism of facilities and safety concerns, and among female participants, feeling self-conscious about participating in physical activity was frequently mentioned.

The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns had a largely negative impact on the young people’ physical activity, with home learning and online classes, as well as the lack of PE and dance classes, meaning there was fewer opportunities for it. They noticed that their activity levels increased when they returned to school, with a 16 year-old female participant commenting:

It was easier to be active because school was more structured instead of what it had been before (in the summer lockdown) so it…like I knew what my lessons were, then I can do my work, there’s like walking and stuff and had more of like a routine”

Many young people reported loss of fitness and injury during lockdown, which two shared their struggle with weight gain. Some reported struggles with poor mental health and low mood, with young males in particular reporting that feelings of anger became worse due to being confined at home.

Even after returning to school, Covid-19 measures during PE and dance sessions such as restrictions on certain types of activities, wearing masks and not having access to sports equipment or changing facilities, as well as wider restrictions on movement between lessons and activity during break times, had an impact on their physical activity.

Building back fitter

The researchers asked the young people what their recommendations were for physical activity promotion. The young people highlighted the importance of efforts to increase awareness of the physical and mental health benefits of physical activity, as well as encouragement rather than enforcement of physical activity at school. They also stressed the need for activities to be fun, and the importance of friends as co-participants in activities.

Overall the discussions indicated that physical activity promotion efforts should focus on school-based opportunities and the provision of safe and low-cost opportunities in socioeconomically deprived areas.

Dr Alliot concludes:

We asked young people what would help them to be more physically active. They had two recommendations for the government:

Firstly, invest in school-based opportunities for physical activity to reach lots of young people

Secondly, increase the provision of safe and low-cost opportunities to be physically active in local communities, particularly in areas of high deprivation”

Reference

• Olivia Alliott, Hannah Fairbrother, Esther van Sluijs ‘Adolescents’ physical activity during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of young people living in the context of socioeconomic deprivation’ BMJ Public Health (2024). DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-19777-z