The influence of COVID-19 on the practice of physical activity in the European Union countries.

Objective: Analyze how pandemics contribute to the increase in social inequalities in the health sector.

Method: Data are taken from Eurobarometer 97.3. We use the Generalized Structural Equation Model (GSEM) methodology for this analysis.

Results: People with lower socio-economic status, considered to be of lower social class, living in areas with worse infrastructure for practicing physical activity, and in countries with high levels of social inequality, are less likely to engage in leisure time physical activity. In addition, these individuals are more likely to interrupt physical activity practices as a result of COVID-19. In contrast, people of higher socio-economic status, considered to be of upper class, living in contexts where there are opportunities for physical activity, and in countries with low levels of social inequality, are more likely/ to belong to the group of those who increased the frequency of practicing physical activity in free time/ to have increased the frequency of their leisure time physical activity.

Conclusions: There are widespread inequalities in leisure time physical activity linked to personal variables (social status and subjective social class) and contextual variables (infrastructures and Gini Index) that were significantly aggravated with the COVID-19 pandemic.