Relationship between Internet use and out-of-home activities during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan.

Following the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Japanese government announced the declaration of a state of emergency in April 2020, which aimed to decrease contact between people and requested that residents refrain from outings. Even in the absence of penalties, outings decreased under the declaration. We are interested in how outings declined and studied the substitution relationship between Internet use and outings. A web-based survey was conducted to collect data on Internet use and outings in a retrospective manner. The period covered by our data is from mid-February to mid-May 2020. Multilevel analysis and binomial logistic regression analysis were performed to examine the relationship between Internet use and outings. The results clearly show that Internet use replaced outings. In particular, Internet use for socializing, exercise, and leisure/entertainment had a strong substitution relationship with outings. Internet use for socializing and leisure/entertainment was also associated with refraining from visiting restaurants. In contrast, there was a weak substitution relationship between Internet use for daily shopping and outings. Although telework tends to be an accepted focus of Internet use under the COVID-19 outbreak, it should not be overlooked that other uses of the Internet, such as for leisure/entertainment, also supported the decline in outings.

Relationships among changes in walking and sedentary behaviors, individual attributes, changes in work situation, and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Studies from many countries, including Japan, have reported decreased physical activity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the individual attributes as related to changes in physical activity during the pandemic in Japan have been scarcely investigated. The present study explored the relationships among individual attributes including demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics, work situation changes, perception of anxiety, and changes in walking and sedentary behaviors, during the pandemic in Japan. To obtain data indicating individual circumstances during the first wave of the pandemic in Japan, we conducted a nationwide online survey from May 19 to May 23, 2020 (n = 1,200). To observe changes in walking behavior objectively and retrospectively, we collected data on the number of daily steps as measured by the iPhone's Health application. Path analysis was employed to examine relationships between individual attributes and changes in walking and sedentary behaviors. Decreased physical activity, especially, decreased walking behavior among younger individuals and those living in highest-density neighborhoods were identified. There was increased sedentary behavior among females. Moreover, individuals with higher socioeconomic status (SES) tended to become inactive due to work-from-home/standby-at-home and individuals with lower SES tended to become inactive due to decreased amount of work. Decreased walking behavior and increased sedentary behavior were associated with a perception of strong anxiety related to the pandemic. Our findings would be helpful in considering measures to counteract health risks during the pandemic by taking into account individual backgrounds.