SPOVID

Background 

The SPOVID study (“Examining Physical Activity and Sports Behavior in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Social Inequality Perspective“) aims to investigate changes in physical activity among the German population throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on social inequality. 

The public health measures implemented to contain the spread of the virus have had a substantial impact on activity behaviors across the entire population. Representative data on physical activity collected in October 2019 (pre-pandemic) and March/April 2020 (during the first lockdown) revealed a significant overall decline in sports participation (Mutz & Gerke, 2020). While a large portion of the population significantly reduced their physical activity during the lockdown, a smaller segment reported an increase in activity, indicating that some individuals became more active during the pandemic—contrary to the general trend. 

As COVID-19 containment measures were gradually relaxed in the following months, yet the pandemic continued to shape public life, further analysis of its effects on physical activity remains highly relevant. 

Research Focus 

The central research questions of the SPOVID project are: 

• How has physical activity (across various domains and settings) changed throughout the pandemic? 

• Which social inequality indicators are associated with changes in physical activity? 

• What are the associations between changes in activity patterns and subjective well-being? 

Study Design 

In collaboration with forsa, a leading German public opinion research institute, a population-representative survey is conducted to collect data on physical activity and mental health. This survey builds on previous rounds from October 2019 and April 2020, enabling longitudinal trend analyses. The continuation of data collection allows for the examination of how physical activity and mental well-being have evolved during different stages of the pandemic. 

Additionally, the study incorporates a social inequality perspective, enabling nuanced analyses by federal states (e.g., North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria) or regional clusters (e.g., Eastern German states). This allows for the consideration of state-specific pandemic developments and protection regulations. 

 

Project Leads: Prof. Dr. Anne Kerstin Reimers (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg), Prof. Dr. Michael Mutz (Justus Liebig University Giessen) 

Research Associate: Dr. Franziska Beck (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg) 

 

Publication List: 

Beck, F., Mutz, M., Engels, E. S., & Reimers, A. K. (2021). Changes in Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic—An Analysis of Differences Based on Mitigation Policies and Incidence Values in the Federal States of Germany. Sports, 9(7), 102. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/9/7/102 

Engels, E. S., Mutz, M., Demetriou, Y., & Reimers, A. K. (2021). Levels of physical activity in four domains and affective wellbeing before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Arch Public Health, 79(1), 122. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00651-y 

Mutz, M., & Reimers, A. K. (2021). Leisure time sports and exercise activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey of working parents. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research, 51(3), 384–389. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-021-00730-w 

Mutz, M., Müller, J., & Reimers, A. K. (2021). Use of Digital Media for Home-Based Sports Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the German SPOVID Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094409 

Mutz, M., & Gerke, M. (2020). Sport and exercise in time of self-quarantine: How Germans changed their behaviour in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690220934335