COVID-19 and physical inactivity: Teetering on the edge of a deadlier pandemic?

Abstract

n March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To limit its spread, most countries recommended social distancing, quarantine and self-isolation, and closure of schools and most businesses. This has resulted in a substantial negative impact on human society regarding health, economy, and lifestyle. In turn, health care policymakers focused on diagnosis and management of COVID-19, as well as the development of effective vaccines. However, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) of the world's population, secondary to quarantine, with their consequent burden on global health, have not been given their required attention. We aim to highlight the need for all physicians to include a prescription of increasing PA and reducing SB for their patients during and following COVID-19, particularly those with known comorbidities.