Background: Healthy childhood development is fostered through sufficient physical activity (PA; including time outdoors), limiting sedentary behaviours (SB), and adequate sleep; collectively known as movement behaviours. In March 2020, the WHO characterized the COVID-19 virus outbreak as a global pandemic. As a result, restrictions were imposed, limiting community and social gatherings, sport, playground and park use. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on movement and play behaviours in children and youth.

Methods: We distributed surveys to Canadian parents that assessed changes in child movement and play behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak in April 2020, October 2020, and April 2021. At each time point, 1,500 surveys were distributed. The repeated cross-sectional survey assessed pandemic-related changes in child physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and sleep, as well as family demographics and parental factors that may influence movement behaviours. Correlations between behaviours and demographic and parental factors were determined. For open-ended questions (e.g., innovative child/family activities), we summarized word frequency distributions.

Results: Less than 5% of children and youth were meeting the combined movement behaviour guidelines during COVID-19 restrictions. Children and youth had lower PA levels, less outside time, higher SB (including leisure screen time), and more sleep during the outbreak. Parental encouragement and support, parental engagement in PA, and family dog ownership were positively associated with healthy movement behaviours. Although families spent less time in PA and more time in SB, several parents reported adopting new hobbies or accessing new resources. Data from all time points (immediate, 6-month, 12-month) for PA, SB, sleep, and the combined 24-hour movement behaviour guidelines will be reported during the symposium.

Conclusions: Our study provides evidence of collateral consequences immediately after COVID-19 restrictions were imposed. These consequences continued months into the pandemic, clearly demonstrating an adverse long-term impact on the movement and play behaviours of Canadian children and youth. Findings from our surveys highlight the challenges that families are experiencing in maintaining healthy behaviours during a global health crisis.

Background: Evidence has shown that sufficient levels of physical activity (PA), limited sedentary behaviours (SB), and adequate sleep are linked to physical and mental well-being among children and youth. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer children and youth were meeting PA, SB, and sleep recommendations (i.e., the 24-hour movement behaviours). The purpose of this study was to use novel decision tree modeling to generate profiles of children and youth who were more or less likely to meet the Canadian 24-h movement guidelines during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak in the first year of the pandemic.

Methods: Data for this study were from nationally representative samples of Canadian parents of children (5-11 years old) or youth (12-17 years old). Data were collected in April 2020, October 2020, and April 2021 via an online survey. Survey items assessed demographic, behavioural, social, micro-environmental, and macro-environmental characteristics. Decision trees of adherence and non-adherence to all movement recommendations combined and each individual movement recommendation were generated.

Results: Results revealed specific combinations of adherence and non-adherence characteristics. Characteristics associated with adherence or non-adherence to the recommendation(s) included parental perceived capability to support healthy behaviours, annual household income, children’s and youth’s outdoor PA/sport since the COVID-19 outbreak began, gender, parental age, and changes in children’s and youth’s healthy behaviours since the COVID-19 outbreak began. We will report the specific combinations of adherence and non-adherence characteristics from all time points (immediate, 6-month, 12-month) during the symposium.

Conclusion: This study aimed to generate models that describe profiles of school-aged children and youth (5–17 years old) who were more or less likely to meet the 24-h movement behaviors during the first year of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our results show that specific characteristics interact to contribute to adherence and non-adherence to the movement behaviour recommendations. Results highlight the importance of targeting parents’ perceived capability for the promotion of children’s and youth’s healthy movement behaviours during challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Habitual healthy movement behaviours are important contributors to child mental and physical health. The COVID-19 pandemic and related public health recommendations have changed the daily lives of Canadians and restricted opportunities for healthy movement behaviours for children. Despite the known health benefits, very few children were meeting the movement behaviour guidelines during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to use qualitative methods to explore how parents experienced the pandemic-related restrictions and how they impacted their children’s movement behaviours.

Methods: Parents who participated in a national cross-sectional survey, and who expressed interest in participating in an interview at the end of the survey, were contacted by email. Twenty-nine semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted (June-July 2020) with parents of children (5-11 years old). The interview questions explored changes in movements due to the pandemic, parental approaches to supporting healthy movement and play behaviours during the pandemic, pandemic-related restrictions in the parent’s geographic area, and existing and anticipated barriers and facilitators to movement and play. Interviews lasted 24-104 minutes, were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed.

Results: Findings emphasized various individual (e.g., motivation), interpersonal (e.g., parent work schedule), built (e.g., closure of parks) and natural environment (e.g., weather) factors related to children’s movement behaviours. The findings highlighted the loss of structured activities and destinations for children’s physical activity, and restricted opportunities for outdoor play exacerbated by shrinking childhood independent mobility, with additional dramatic increases in screen time. During the symposium we will highlight challenges that parents are facing during the pandemic and strategies families are employing to support their children to maintain healthy movement behaviours.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted children’s movement behaviours. Families are trying to cope but are faced with a number of challenges, including adhering to public health restrictions, juggling multiple roles, conducting work and school from home, as well as exacerbating factors like weather. It will be important to continue to encourage outdoor time, support policies and practice that facilitate independent mobility, and develop centralized resources that help families in the maintenance of healthy movement behaviours as families recover from this global health crisis.