Situation Analysis of the Thai Population’s Physical Activity Recovery after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Abstract

This study aims to examine the physical activity recovery status among different population groups in Thailand. Data for this study were obtained from the 2019-2021 Thailand Physical Activity Surveillance System, collected by the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University. Multiple sampling stages were employed, with the application of Multi-Stage Random Sampling. The sample sizes for the years of 2019, 2020, and 2021 were 7,630, 7,815, and 7,847 individuals, respectively. Descriptive Statistics analyzed research data.

The findings revealed that women were more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to men, with over half of women still experiencing challenges in recovering their physical activity levels. Older individuals were more adversely impacted compared to other age groups. Furthermore, singles and widows exhibited slower recovery rates compared to individuals in other marital statuses. The level of education was found to influence the speed of physical activity recovery, with higher levels of education associated with a faster rebound. Among various occupations, unemployed populations have the slowest recovery in terms of physical activity. The findings highlight the existence of physical activity inequities within the Thai population during the recovery phase. Factors such as age, gender, physical disabilities, access to information, working conditions, and living environments influence physical activity recovery differently among various population groups. Accordingly, tailored physical activity campaigns that consider the unique contexts of each group are necessary to address these disparities effectively.