Exploring Pandemic-led Changes To Children’S Physical Activity Patterns Using Big Data Analytics

PURPOSE: Children’s physical activity was impacted by social distancing measures enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have examined changes to children’s objectively-measured physical activity patterns across a 24-hour period. Therefore, we applied big data analytics to data regarding Hong Kong children’s physical activity with a goal of identifying how the pandemic altered their activity patterns. METHODS: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity data of 13,861 primary school children (aged 6 to 12 years) were collected using a proprietary wearable device designed for the Fun to Move@JC project. Data collected on school days between April 2019 to December 2022 were aggregated by hour and analyzed using a multiple waves Gaussian model, to identify the number, timing, and height of peaks that represented periods with high activity. Analyses were conducted by month to allow comparison of data collected during periods when schools were, versus were not, affected by the pandemic. RESULTS: When there were no pandemic-related social distancing measures, children’s activity was characterized by a combination of four Gaussian waves, peaking around 8 am (before school begins), noon (lunch break), 3 pm (after school finishes), and 6 pm. The first and third waves, compared to the others, had higher peaks. When social distancing measures were enforced, students attended school over the internet from home; school periods were also shortened. During these periods, children’s activity pattern was characterized by a two-wave model, peaking at around 1 am and 5 pm respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Transportation to and from school were major sources of daily activity children accrued on school days. During pandemic-hit periods, children had higher and wider activity peaks in the late afternoon compared to normal school days. This may be explained by children having more time in the afternoon due to shortened school periods. This also suggets that children’s natural tendency to be physically active in the afternoon may be restricted, potentially due to school assignments and lack of support to all students (e.g., venues reserved for school teams). As normal schooling has resumed, governments and schools should consider policy changes that would improve children’s accessibility to physical activity after school. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust