Resilience of adolescents in physical activity during the covid-19 pandemic: a preliminary case study in France
Résumé
Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine how adolescents' physical activity (PA) changed
during the COVID-19 crisis according to level of intensity and whether there are typologies of
resilience based on individual and environmental characteristics. Methods: A longitudinal follow-up
study of PA in a representative sample of French adolescents (n=808, 16.32±1.01 years old) was
carried out. Two online surveys collecting reported data on amounts of PA were completed the week
before and during the first week of the lockdown. Data related to individual and environmental
characteristics were collected. A principal component method with qualitative and quantitative data
(FAMD) for cluster analysis was performed to identify adolescent’s profiles according to their
individual, interpersonal and environmental determinants. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA and a
Bonferroni Post-Hoc test were performed to detect any significant effects of adolescents’ clusters on
time and each intensity level of PA. Results: Three clusters were identified and characterized by a
multifactorial process: active, studious and rural adolescents (37%) reported a significant increase in
their MVPA (+707 Mets·week-1, p<0.05), inactive, underachieving and rural adolescents (32%)
reported a stability in their MVPA (0 Mets·week-1, NS) and urban adolescents (31%) reported a
significant decrease of MVPA (-237 Mets·week-1, p<0.05). Conclusion: This study investigated the
multifactorial and temporal complexity of PA resilience according to a socio-ecological anchoring,
suggesting that factors of resilience in PA are linked to availability of rural and green environments
(environmental determinants), good pedagogical follow up (interpersonal determinant) and high
initial involvement in PA (individual determinant).