Daheia Barr-Anderson, PhD, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Behavioral Physical Activity Laboratory (BPAL), and BPAL members Amanda Folk and Brooke Wagner, along with colleagues from the School of Public Health, published the manuscript “Stay-at-home orders during COVID-19: the influence of physical activity and recreational screen time among diverse, emerging adults and future implications for health promotion and the prevention of widening health disparities” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This manuscript is a third of a trio of articles published in a special issue examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and sedentary behaviors.

The manuscript explores how COVID-19’s mandatory stay-at-home order from March to May 2020 influenced physical activity (PA) and recreational screen time (RST) in an ethnically/racially, socioeconomically diverse sample of emerging adults. Using data from Project EAT (Eating and Activity over Time), 218 adults were queried on their PA and RST behavior in 2018 and again in 2020 during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Overall, moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) and total PA decreased, and RST increased. Specifically, individuals who perceived their neighborhood as unsafe during the day and night reported 2.8 fewer hours of total PA and over 4 more hours of RST, respectively, than those who perceived their neighborhood as safe. Compared to Whites, Blacks or African Americans and Asian Americans reported 3.16 and 2.37 fewer hours of total PA. Additionally, Asian Americans reported almost 5 hours more RST than Whites. Low SES (Socioeconomic Status) was associated with 4.04 fewer hours of total PA compared to high SES. Prior to COVID-19, there were already differences in PA and RST by ethnicity/race and SES, and these disparities were magnified during COVID.