Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescents

Abstract Background Although there is consistent evidence of unhealthy changes in the 24-h movement behaviours when comparing pre-COVID-19 periods to the early stages of the pandemic, there is limited research on long-term changes among adolescents. This study aimed to analyze both between- and with...

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Main Authors: Marcus V. V. Lopes, Ian Janssen, Bruno G. G. da Costa, Bruno N. de Oliveira, Gabrielli T. de Mello, Jean-Philippe Chaput, Kelly S. Silva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-05-01
Series:BMC Public Health
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23155-8
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author Marcus V. V. Lopes
Ian Janssen
Bruno G. G. da Costa
Bruno N. de Oliveira
Gabrielli T. de Mello
Jean-Philippe Chaput
Kelly S. Silva
author_facet Marcus V. V. Lopes
Ian Janssen
Bruno G. G. da Costa
Bruno N. de Oliveira
Gabrielli T. de Mello
Jean-Philippe Chaput
Kelly S. Silva
author_sort Marcus V. V. Lopes
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Although there is consistent evidence of unhealthy changes in the 24-h movement behaviours when comparing pre-COVID-19 periods to the early stages of the pandemic, there is limited research on long-term changes among adolescents. This study aimed to analyze both between- and within-participant differences in accelerometer-assessed 24-h movement behaviours by comparing cross-sectional and prospective data from the pre-COVID-19 period (August to December 2019) to the period following the reopening of schools for in-person classes in southern Brazil (August to December 2022). Methods This is a repeated cross-sectional design with a nested cohort. The 24-h movement behaviours (i.e., light physical activity [LIPA] and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA], sedentary behaviour [SB], and sleep time [SPT]) were assessed by processing raw accelerometer data derived from a 24-h/7-day wrist-worn protocol. Compositional multilevel models were applied to compare the 24-h movement behaviour composition between time points for both cross-sectional and prospective data. Self-reported sociodemographic characteristics were examined as potential moderators. Results The cross-sectional and prospective samples comprised, respectively, 1276 (53% female, average age of 16.4 ± 1.1) and 249 (53% female, average age of 15.6 ± 0.8) participants. The 24-h movement behaviour composition differed between time-points in the cross-sectional (p < 0.001) and prospective samples (p < 0.001). Differences from 2019 to 2022 were explained by lower MVPA (-3.3 and -5.4 min/day in cross-sectional and prospective analysis, respectively) and a higher SB (4.7 and 34 min/day in cross-sectional and prospective analysis, respectively). No significant differences were observed for LIPA and SPT. Conclusions Differences in the 24-h movement behaviour composition comparing the cross-sectional samples, although statistically significant, were considered trivial and unlikely to have a substantial practical impact. However, considerable differences were observed in the prospective analysis. The results suggest that most of the observed changes over time were expected as a natural consequence of aging during high school, with only a small portion attributable to the residual impact of the pandemic.
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spelling doaj-art-2c01cf47bbf7445a9d364f92f4e6fe3f2025-08-20T03:16:51ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-05-0125111110.1186/s12889-025-23155-8Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescentsMarcus V. V. Lopes0Ian Janssen1Bruno G. G. da Costa2Bruno N. de Oliveira3Gabrielli T. de Mello4Jean-Philippe Chaput5Kelly S. Silva6Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research InstituteSchool of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Kinesiology and Physical Education, McGill UniversityDepartment of Physical Education, Federal University of Santa CatarinaInstitute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, Texas A&M AgriLife ResearchHealthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research InstituteDepartment of Physical Education, Federal University of Santa CatarinaAbstract Background Although there is consistent evidence of unhealthy changes in the 24-h movement behaviours when comparing pre-COVID-19 periods to the early stages of the pandemic, there is limited research on long-term changes among adolescents. This study aimed to analyze both between- and within-participant differences in accelerometer-assessed 24-h movement behaviours by comparing cross-sectional and prospective data from the pre-COVID-19 period (August to December 2019) to the period following the reopening of schools for in-person classes in southern Brazil (August to December 2022). Methods This is a repeated cross-sectional design with a nested cohort. The 24-h movement behaviours (i.e., light physical activity [LIPA] and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA], sedentary behaviour [SB], and sleep time [SPT]) were assessed by processing raw accelerometer data derived from a 24-h/7-day wrist-worn protocol. Compositional multilevel models were applied to compare the 24-h movement behaviour composition between time points for both cross-sectional and prospective data. Self-reported sociodemographic characteristics were examined as potential moderators. Results The cross-sectional and prospective samples comprised, respectively, 1276 (53% female, average age of 16.4 ± 1.1) and 249 (53% female, average age of 15.6 ± 0.8) participants. The 24-h movement behaviour composition differed between time-points in the cross-sectional (p < 0.001) and prospective samples (p < 0.001). Differences from 2019 to 2022 were explained by lower MVPA (-3.3 and -5.4 min/day in cross-sectional and prospective analysis, respectively) and a higher SB (4.7 and 34 min/day in cross-sectional and prospective analysis, respectively). No significant differences were observed for LIPA and SPT. Conclusions Differences in the 24-h movement behaviour composition comparing the cross-sectional samples, although statistically significant, were considered trivial and unlikely to have a substantial practical impact. However, considerable differences were observed in the prospective analysis. The results suggest that most of the observed changes over time were expected as a natural consequence of aging during high school, with only a small portion attributable to the residual impact of the pandemic.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23155-8Motor Activity; SleepAccelerometryMovement SensorCompositional Data
spellingShingle Marcus V. V. Lopes
Ian Janssen
Bruno G. G. da Costa
Bruno N. de Oliveira
Gabrielli T. de Mello
Jean-Philippe Chaput
Kelly S. Silva
Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescents
BMC Public Health
Motor Activity; Sleep
Accelerometry
Movement Sensor
Compositional Data
title Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescents
title_full Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescents
title_fullStr Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescents
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescents
title_short Assessing the damage: analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerometer-assessed 24-hour movement behaviours in Brazilian adolescents
title_sort assessing the damage analyzing the impact of the covid 19 pandemic on accelerometer assessed 24 hour movement behaviours in brazilian adolescents
topic Motor Activity; Sleep
Accelerometry
Movement Sensor
Compositional Data
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23155-8
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