• Paola Gonzalo-Encabo, Luis Cereijo, Ángel Luis Clemente Remón, José Emilio Jiménez-Beatty, Víctor Jiménez Díaz-Benito, and José Antonio Santacruz Lozano.
• Universidad de Alcalá, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Grupo de investigación en gestión y entrenamiento deportivo, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.; Universidad de Alcalá, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Departamento de Especialidades Médicas, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
• Prev Med. 2021 Dec 1; 153: 106719106719.

AbstractRestrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to decrease physical activity (PA) levels. The purpose of the study was to explore the associations between age, gender, and exercise facilities-type membership and physical activity levels during COVID-19 lockdown among users of exercise facilities from Spain. Participants were recruited among the members of 84 exercise facilities across Spain. Data was collected through an online questionnaire between 5th and 20th of April 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 7062 participants met inclusion criteria and responded correctly to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Lower levels of total PA were found in women compared with men (β = -26, 95%CI: -40 to -13), and among older adults (β = -48, 95%CI: -10 to -85) compared with younger ones. Moreover, users of private facilities showed higher levels of PA (β = 40, 95%CI: 13 to 66) than those from low-cost and public facilities (reference). Lastly, women from private facilities showed greater levels of PA (β = 63, 95%CI: 29 to 96) than low cost and public's users, an increase higher than what was found in men (β = 7, 95%CI: -38 to 52). Therefore, gender, age and the type of exercise facility's subscription had a relevant influence on PA levels during COVID-19 lockdown in an active population. These findings are useful for public health recommendations, in order to identify subpopulations of previously active people at risk of being physically inactive during and after this pandemic.Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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