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BACKGROUND:

Participating in physical activity (PA) and minimising time spent sedentary is important to achieve and maintain good health. Time spent being physically active and sedentary could be negatively influenced by the 2019 global pandemic where home confinement restrictions are commonplace internationally. The aim of this study was to identify the percentage of Australian adults meeting the PA and sedentary behaviour guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS:

Australian adults participated in a cross-sectional online survey examining PA and sedentary behaviours during April, 2020. Descriptive statistics were produced for demographic, PA and sedentary behaviour variables.

RESULTS:

1,084 Australian adults responded to the survey. The majority of respondents did not meet the aerobic (n= 756, 70%) or strength (n= 649, 60%) components of the guidelines. The majority of respondents (n= 609, 58%) participated in low sedentary time (< 9hr/day).

CONCLUSION:

Compared to previous studies and national data, the percentage of Australian adults meeting the strength component of the guidelines increased while the percentage meeting the aerobic and sedentary time components decreased. The reduction in activity and increase in sedentary time could be due to the enforcement of home confinement restrictions. It is important to provide opportunities for people to maintain activity during pandemics to avoid poor health outcomes.