Changes in the Step Counts of University Students Living in Hokkaido during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) countermeasures, such as lockdowns, have been reported to reduce people's physical activity levels. Purpose. To determine changes in the step counts among university students before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and identify the risk factors for decreased step counts. Materials and Methods. An online questionnaire was sent by e-mail to 1,851 students enrolled in a university in Hokkaido, Japan; of these, 127 participated. The questionnaire items were average monthly step counts from October 2019 to March 2022, type of residence, part-time job, club activities, personal demographics, height, and weight. The average step counts in October/November 2019 (before the pandemic) were used as the baseline, and changes in step counts were studied at five time points (every 6 months): April/May 2020 (first state of emergency declared), October/November 2020 (period of contained infection), April/May 2021 (second state of emergency declared), and October/November 2021 (period of contained infection). We also examined changes in the number of steps due to different lifestyle factors and factors that contributed to decreased step counts during the study period. Results. Significantly lower step counts than those at baseline were observed in April/May 2020 and April/May 2021; however, there was no significant difference in October/November 2020 and October/November 2021 compared with baseline. In addition, significantly lower step counts were observed in April/May 2020 than in April/May 2021. The risk of decreased step counts was significantly associated with nonparticipation in club activities, even after adjustment for other variables. Conclusion. The step counts of university students decreased significantly during the declaration of a state of emergency and recovered to pre-pandemic levels after the declaration was lifted. Lifestyle status revealed differences in the number of steps taken before and after the pandemic. Nonparticipation in club activities was identified as a major risk factor for a decrease in step counts.