S02-4 Physical activity and screen time during the COVID-19 lockdown in Europe: repeated cross-sectional study in 10 countries

Abstract Background To date, few multi-country data on how the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions affected children’s physical activity have been published, and most reports originate outside Europe. This repeated cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and correlates of physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) in a large sample of European children during the COVID-19 pandemic in January-February 2021, and compared the data to the first lockdown in May-June 2020. Methods Data from two online survey rounds were analysed. A total of 8,395 children aged 6-18 years were included in Round 1 (May-June 2020) and 24,302 in Round 2 (Jan-Feb 2021). PA and ST were assessed by 7-day recall measure. Results Overall, 9.3% of children (95%CI, 6.9-11.7) met the WHO PA recommendation, which is half of what was observed in Spring 2020 (19.0% [18.2-19.9]). Exceeding ST recommendations was also prevalent in both data collection rounds. Playing outdoors more than 2 hours/day, following a daily routine and being active in online P.E. increased the odds of healthy levels of physical activity and screen time. We also observed a large variability in curriculum time allocated for P.E. In many countries this was lower than the compulsory requirements. Conclusions Findings suggest that lockdown in winter has greater negative impact than in spring. Promoting safe and responsible outdoor activities, safeguarding P.E. lessons during distance learning and setting pre-planned, consistent daily routines are important in helping children maintain healthy active lifestyle in pandemic situation. These factors should be prioritised by policymakers, schools and parents.