Abstract

Strategies to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have caused different behavioural modifications in all populations. Therefore, this study aimed to determine changes in active commuting, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), physical fitness, and sedentary time during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chilean parents. Eighty-six fathers (41.30 +/- 6.82 years) and 294 mothers (40.68 +/- 6.92 years) of children from different schools from Valparaiso, Chile, participated. Inclusion criteria were adults with schoolchildren who were resident in Chile during the research period. Convenience sampling was used as a non-probabilistic sampling technique. Respondents completed a self-reported online survey about active commuting, MVPA, self-perceived physical fitness, and sedentary time July-September 2020 during the first pandemic period. Comparisons between before and during the pandemic were performed using t-tests and covariance analysis (ANCOVA), establishing a significance level at p 0.05. Most participants stayed at home during the pandemic, whereas active and passive commuting significantly decreased in both fathers and mothers (p 0.001). MVPA and physical fitness scores reduced considerably (p 0.05), while sedentary time significantly increased (p 0.05), independent of the sex of parents and children's school type. Differences by age groups and the number of children were more heterogeneous, as younger parents showed a larger decrease in MVPA (p 0.05) and physical fitness score (p 0.05). Additionally, parents with one child showed a larger decrease in sedentary time (p 0.05) than those with two or more children. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected healthy behaviours. Hence, health policies should promote more strategies to mitigate the long-term health effects of the pandemic on Chilean parents.