Associations of Home-Based Individual and Family Exercise with Personal and Family Well-Being Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-Based Survey in Hong Kong

TL;DR

This study explores how home-based individual and family exercise during the pandemic affects personal and family well-being in Hong Kong.

Contribution

The study is among the first to examine the impact of home-based family exercise on personal and family well-being during the pandemic.

Findings

More frequent home-based individual or family exercise was linked to higher family well-being and personal happiness.

Regular exercise was associated with better coping capabilities and lower psychological distress.

Findings suggest home-based exercise could be a valuable public health strategy.

Abstract

Exercise benefits individuals, but research about exercising with family members (EFM) and personal and family well-being is scarce. We investigated the associations of home-based individual exercise (IE) and EFM with personal and family well-being amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A population-based cross-sectional survey on Hong Kong Chinese adults was conducted from February to March 2021, when COVID-19 was under control (N = 5825). Respondents reported the number of days IE and EFM occurred at home in the past 7 days (0, 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7), respectively. Family well-being, personal happiness, and personal/family adversity coping capability (ACC/FACC) were each measured with an 11-point scale (range 0–10). Psychological distress was measured using the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (range 0–12). Associations were assessed using multiple linear regressions. Of 1911 respondents, 9.2% reported having ≥3 days of EFM. After adjusting for each other and sociodemographic characteristics, more frequent IE or EFM (≥3 vs. 0–2 days) was associated with greater family well-being, FACC, personal happiness, and lower psychological distress. Our findings suggest that home-based EFM or IE may promote personal/family well-being and highlight the potential for incorporating home-based exercise into public health strategies to enhance overall well-being.