Abstract
Background
Time use, the allocation of hours across work, commuting, household activities, caregiving, leisure, and rest, is increasingly recognised as a health determinant. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted established routines and created a unique natural experiment to examine how changes in time use affect health behaviours.
Methods
We used data from 7,456 employed participants of the Swedish Longitudinal Survey of Health (SLOSH), who responded to the survey both in 2018 (pre-pandemic) and 2020 (pandemic). Self-reported weekly time spent on commuting, children’s activities, leisure, rest, household activities, and caregiving for grandchildren or pets etc was categorised as decreased, unchanged, or increased. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations with four health risks: physical inactivity, problem drinking, sleep problems, and smoking, adjusting for sociodemographic and work-related covariates.
Results
Decreased time used for leisure, household activities, and caregiving was associated with higher odds of physical inactivity and problem drinking. In contrast, increased time used for leisure was associated with lower odds of inactivity (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58–0.91) and problem drinking (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44–0.97). Increased time used for rest was associated with less sleep problems (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.72–0.99), and increased time used for household activities was associated with lower odds of smoking (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.37–0.88).
Conclusions
Changes in time allocation during the pandemic associated with multiple health risk factors. Public health policies that support structured routines, active leisure time, and family-friendly environments may help prevent health risk factors during societal disruptions.
Key messages
• Pandemic-related changes in time use were linked to physical inactivity, problem drinking, sleep problems, and smoking among Swedish workers.
• More time for leisure, rest, and household activities was associated with lower health risks, highlighting the value of supportive routines during disruptions.