The motivational profile does matter: an exploratory survey on the influence of remote office work on physical behavior during the COVID19 lockdown

Background: With the COVID-19 global pandemic most office workers were forced to work remotely, possibly leading to a reconfiguration of settled patterns of physical behavior, often characterized by a sedentary lifestyle. This study aimed to investigate the motivational profile, facilitators, and barriers that might have influenced a change in physical activity while working remotely due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed in May-June 2020 including demographics; self-reported physical- and work behavior throughout the day before and during lockdown; Sports Motivation Scale-II assessing motivation for being physically active; and rating on facilitators, and barriers for engaging in physical activity during lockdown. One-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test was computed to investigate differences between those participants who become more-, less-, and equally active during COVID-19 lockdown.

Results: Ninety-nine people (Female=66) completed the questionnaire. Forty-four percent of the participants considered themselves less active than before the lockdown. Respondents reporting higher physical activity (28%) were more intrinsically motivated to be physically active. The most important facilitators for physical activity were ‘good weather’, ‘no work-related travel’, and ‘flexible work schedules’. The most important barriers were ‘no active transport’, ‘closed facilities’, and ‘work fatigue’.

Conclusions: Strategies that adapt to the weather and fit the work schedule could facilitate physical activity among remote office workers. The results of this study will be used to design interventions to promote an active lifestyle among office workers, personalized to their motivation profile, needs, and preferences.