COVID-19 stay-at-home orders reduced physical activity in older African Americans

Q: How did COVID-19 affect physical activity in older African Americans?

Daily step count decreased significantly by 20.1% after the stay-at-home order, from 1646 to 1315 steps.

Q: Did sleep duration change during COVID-19 in this population?

Nightly sleep duration decreased slightly from 7.1 to 6.9 hours, but this change was not statistically significant.

Q: What was the sample size for the actigraphy analysis?

Only 15 participants had valid actigraphy data, due to technical issues and COVID-19 disruptions.

Q: What is the significance of this finding?

It highlights the negative impact of public health restrictions on physical activity in an underserved population, emphasizing the need for interventions to maintain activity during disruptions.

In a subset of older African American participants with valid actigraphy data, mean daily step count decreased significantly by 20.1% from 1646 to 1315 steps after the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Nightly sleep duration decreased but not significantly from 7.1 to 6.9 hours.

Last updated: Aug 6, 2026•0 RCTs•📖 Read as article →

Evidence Score

Evidence Score34/100

Human RCT☆☆☆☆☆

Meta-analysis☆☆☆☆☆

Mechanism★★★★★

Safety★★★★☆

Confidencelow

Study Evidence

Study 1. COVID-19 Impact on Health Behaviors and Survey Engagement in Older African Americans: Longitudinal Cohort Study.

observational

Yildiz S, Mattek N, Steele J, Gothard S, James BD, Capuano AW, Barnes LL, Kaye JA, Beattie ZT · JMIR formative research (2026)

Participants: N/A

Duration: 10 weeks (February 15, 2020 to April 15, 2020)

Intervention: COVID-19 stay-at-home order (Illinois, March 21, 2020)

Outcome: Daily step count and nightly sleep duration measured via actigraphy

Effect Size: 20.1% reduction in daily steps; P<.001

Population: Older African American adults (mean age 76.6 years) from the Minority Aging Research Study (MARS)

Result:

PubMed: 42545733 DOI: 10.2196/79432

Mechanism Graph

Stay-at-home order restricted movement and outdoor activities

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Reduced opportunities for physical activity

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Decreased daily step count

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Potential negative impact on physical health

Limitations

⚠Actigraphy data available for only 15 participants due to COVID-19 and technical disruptions
⚠Small sample size limits generalizability
⚠Sleep duration change was not statistically significant

Frequently Asked Questions

How did COVID-19 affect physical activity in older African Americans?▼

Daily step count decreased significantly by 20.1% after the stay-at-home order, from 1646 to 1315 steps.

Did sleep duration change during COVID-19 in this population?▼

Nightly sleep duration decreased slightly from 7.1 to 6.9 hours, but this change was not statistically significant.

What was the sample size for the actigraphy analysis?▼

Only 15 participants had valid actigraphy data, due to technical issues and COVID-19 disruptions.

What is the significance of this finding?▼

It highlights the negative impact of public health restrictions on physical activity in an underserved population, emphasizing the need for interventions to maintain activity during disruptions.

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References

1.Yildiz S, Mattek N, Steele J, Gothard S, James BD, Capuano AW, Barnes LL, Kaye JA, Beattie ZT. "COVID-19 Impact on Health Behaviors and Survey Engagement in Older African Americans: Longitudinal Cohort Study.." JMIR formative research, 2026. PMID: 42545733 DOI: 10.2196/79432

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