Dr.Philos., professor V.I. Stolyarov¹
Dr.Hab., associate professor A.G. Abalyan¹
Dr.Hab., associate professor T.G. Fomichenko¹
PhD, Associate Professor S.A. Vorobyov^2
1Federal Science Center of Physical Culture and Sport (VNIIFK), Moscow, Russia
²Saint-Petersburg Federal State Budgetary Institution “Research Institute of Physical Culture”, Saint-Petersburg

Corresponding author: vstolyarov@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to survey the COVID-19 pandemic effects on the popular physical education and sports in Russia by the population groups and health categories.

Methods and structure of the study. We surveyed, for the purposes of the study, different population groups using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview) and CAWI (Computer Assisted WEB Interview) technologies, plus focused interviews with elements of the modern facial scanning technology in 16 focus group discussions for the gender, age and population groups. We sampled 85 regions of the Russian Federation representing different economic/ cultural zones and rural/ urban communities to survey 11,964 people in total, including families with 3-5 year-olds (n =1325); 6-12 and 13-29 year-olds (n=4881); 30-50 year-olds (n=3314); and 60+ year-olds (n=2444). The study was run under the federal contract of the Ministry of Sports with the Federal Science Center of Physical Culture and Sport (VNIIFK) supported by the Russian State Social University experts to advance the National “Demography” Project and federal “Sports as the Life Norm Project

Results and conclusion. The survey found one of three respondents seeing no changes in their physical education and sports activity, including 40.1% of the families with 3-5 year-olds; 30.2% of the 13-29 year-olds; 35.6% of the 30-59 year-olds; and 34.2% of the 60+ year-olds. However, the modern digital technologies showed low physical activity (1.2-3.7%) in every population group – explainable by the limited access to the health technologies or the technologies being poorly customizable for the individual needs and user skills of the population groups.

The survey confirmed the need for serious revision of the theoretical attitudes to the social barriers for physical education and sports, their communal and individual benefits, physical education and sport service toolkit improvement, customizing and modeling issues, as well as the physical education and sports advocacy system. It should be mentioned that the survey data should be perceived and analyzed conservatively, with further surveys recommended to correct and complement the data by sound empirical and theoretical contents.

Keywords: questionnaire survey, COVID-19 pandemic, physical education, people’s physical activity.

Background. One of the key national physical education and sport sector progress objectives, as set by the relevant regulatory documents, is to expand the population groups engaged in physical education and sports on a habitual basis by to 70% of the total by 2030 [1,3,4]. In the early 2020, however, the progress was stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic with the related disease-control limitations including temporary isolation, lockdowns, access restrictions, prohibitions of mass cultural/ physical education and sports events, limitations of the fitness club/ sports trainings and other services, etc. We believe it may be beneficial in this context to analyze the pandemic-related situation in the national popular physical education and sport sector by the population groups and health categories [2].

Objective of the study was to survey the COVID-19 pandemic effects on the popular physical education and sports in Russia by the population groups and health categories.

Methods and structure of the study. We surveyed, for the purposes of the study, different population groups using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview) and CAWI (Computer Assisted WEB Interview) technologies, plus focused interviews with elements of the modern facial scanning technology in 16 focus group discussions for the gender, age and population groups. We sampled 85 regions of the Russian Federation representing different economic/ cultural zones and rural/ urban communities to survey 11,964 people in total, including families with 3-5 year-olds (n =1325); 6-12 and 13-29 year-olds (n=4881); 30-50 year-olds (n=3314); and 60+ year-olds (n=2444). The study was run under the federal contract of the Ministry of Sports with the Federal Science Center of Physical Culture and Sport (VNIIFK) supported by the Russian State Social University experts to advance the National “Demography” Project and federal “Sports as the Life Norm Project

Results and discussion. The survey found one of three respondents seeing no changes in their physical education and sports activity, including 40.1% of the families with 3-5 year-olds; 30.2% of the 13-29 year-olds; 35.6% of the 30-59 year-olds; and 34.2% of the 60+ year-olds. However, the modern digital technologies (JustDance, VR, AR, etc.) showed low physical activity (1.2-3.7%) in every population group – explainable by the limited access to the health technologies or the technologies being poorly customizable for the individual needs and user skills of the population groups.

The self-isolation period reportedly has not changed the traditional physical-education-and-sports-related information flows for the 60+ year-olds that were found still relying on the traditional TV broadcasts (36.3%), radio (16.2%), and newspapers/ magazines (19.4%); with the local corporate/ home communities being the least popular among the physical education and sports information sources.

The empirical survey data gives grounds for a few theoretical findings and practical recommendations. The theoretical analysis shows the popular physical education and sports being influenced by the objective factors related to the physical education and sports conditions and subjective factors including the popular physical education and sports motivations in the contest of the relevant group values (health, communication, recreation, etc.) and their rankings in the group values hierarchy.

The COVID-19 pandemic seriously affected the above factors related to physical education and sports as such and the physical education and sports motivations/ attitudes. First of all, the sample reported barriers for physical education and sports in limited spaces and mass recreational/ physical education and sports events with the popular communication, fun, leisure-time activities etc. These difficulties forced changes in the habitual group physical activity, with the regular physical education and sport share contracting and the everyday home physical activity expanding (home chores, jobs etc.). It should be mentioned, however, that such home physical activity is virtually never beneficial enough for the individual physical progress/ health agendas and may be even detrimental to a degree.

The survey found a few popular biases as to the barriers for physical education and sports and their communal and individual benefits. Home self-reliant physical education and sports practices with online consulting and support, for example, have no chances, as the respondents believe, to substitute the fully-fledged traditional physical education and sports at regular sports facilities. The sample acknowledged, however, that now they realize that the pre-COVID physical education and sport service was very good in fact.

One of the key disincentives for physical education and sports, as reported by the sample, is the habitual physical inactivity and laziness, with the desires to relax after jobs, fatigues, burnouts, poor wellbeing, health issues, etc. These passive attitudes have been regretfully fueled by the biased mass media outlets and many theorists arguing that the popular physical inactivity/ physical education and sports disincentives are due to the poor provisions for physical education and sports / physical activity, with the physical perfection and health improvement being viewed as the only goals of popular physical education and sport systems.

Conclusion. The survey confirmed the need for serious revision of the theoretical attitudes to the social barriers for physical education and sports, their communal and individual benefits, physical education and sport service toolkit improvement, customizing and modeling issues, as well as the physical education and sports advocacy system. It should be mentioned that the survey data should be perceived and analyzed conservatively, with further surveys recommended to correct and complement the data by sound empirical and theoretical contents.

References

1. Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 24, 2020 No. 3081-r "On approval of the Strategy for development of physical education and sports in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030". official Internet portal of legal information http://pravo.gov.ru, 30.11.2020, Legislative acts of the Russian Federation, 07.12.2020, # 49, st. 7958.
2. Sociological survey to determine individual needs (motivations) of all categories and groups of the population in conditions for physical education and sports and factors that prevent them: report on research. RSSU and VNIIFK. Moscow, 2020. 866 p.
3. Verbatim record of the meeting of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports on October 10, 2019. Nizhny Novgorod [Electronic resource] Available at: http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/61771.
4. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 21, 2020 No. 474 "On the national development goals of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030". Official Internet portal of legal information. http://www.pravo.gov.ru, 21.07.2020, «Rossiyskaya gazeta», no. 159, 22.07.2020, Legislative acts of the Russian Federation, 27.07.2020, no. 30, cl. 4884.