Perceived Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Physical Activity And Changes In Social Cognitive Theory Constructs

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions altered routines and environments which frequently impacted physical activity (PA) levels. However, few studies have explored the associations between perceptions of this impact and PA-related Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) constructs. PURPOSE: To examine associations between perceived COVID-19 impact on PA and related SCT constructs among rural-residing adults receiving interactive voice response (IVR) PA phone counseling as part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHODS: A subsample of intervention participants from 4 rural counties who were first to enroll in a PA RCT testing IVR PA counseling during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) were analyzed. Surveys on perception of COVID-19 impact on PA, and related SCT constructs were completed at baseline and 12 weeks. Changes in SCT constructs were evaluated using the paired t-test, and associations of changes with perceived COVID-19 impact (yes, no) were evaluated using the two-group t-test. RESULTS: Participants randomized to the IVR PA phone counseling arm (n = 84) reported statistically significant within-group increases in PA social support (mean difference = +2.73), planning (mean difference = +0.40), PA enjoyment (mean difference = +0.51), goal setting (mean difference = +0.65), and self-efficacy (mean difference = +10.28), all p-values <0.05. Within group differences were not statistically significant for outcome expectations. Many participants (47%) indicated that the pandemic made it difficult to be active; yet accounting for the perceived impact of COVID-19 did not significantly change (or modify) the results for these 6 SCT variables. CONCLUSIONS: Rural-residing adults showed improvements in PA-related SCT constructs, despite perceived COVID-19 related barriers to PA. Those receiving IVR PA phone counseling saw increases in PA social support, planning, PA enjoyment, goal setting, and self-efficacy. Such findings bode well for this program’s potential for addressing pandemic related PA declines, as SCT variables often serve as useful early indicators of behavior change.Supported by NIH Grant R01CA233550, T32CA047888