Fred Molitor^1,, Sarah Kehl²

We examined changes in levels of physical activity (PA) before versus after California’s COVID-19 shutdown among mothers from low-income households across California. By comparing the same time periods in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2020 to those in FFYs 2018, 2019, and 2021, we were able to assess whether the changes observed in FFY 2020 were different from those in pre-pandemic years, and the potential longer term impact of COVID-19 on PA. Households with incomes ≤185% of the federal poverty level were randomly selected in FFYs 2018-2021. Within each FFY, cross-sectional interviews were conducted by telephone in English or Spanish. Two outcome variables were examined: minutes of PA per week and whether guidelines of ≥150 minutes of weekly PA were met. Analyses examined these outcomes across and within FFYs by COVID-19 shutdown time periods controlling for race/ethnicity, age, education, and multiple comparisons. Among our analytic sample of 13,267 mothers, 65.2% were Latina, 16.6% were white, and 12.7% were African American. Levels of PA among mothers increased following California’s COVID-19 shutdown. Similar findings were observed within each of the four FFYs for both PA outcomes. We attribute our findings to a seasonal effect, with levels of PA increasing during warmer, post-COVID-19 shutdown months (May through September). We also suggest that the low-income status of our study population may explain why our findings contradict those reported in previous studies. The initial and repeated closure of gyms and fitness centers may have been less disruptive to our samples of mothers, who reported walking at rates higher than the general US population. Mothers may have also been more likely to come from households that received enhanced unemployment or other types of COVID-19 benefits, offering the means and time to continue their pattern of seasonal increases in PA in FFYs 2020 and into 2021.

COVID-19, physical activity, low-income, mothers, SNAP-Ed