Time use changes before and during the pandemic and associations with health risks
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.
Related
- Changes in positive mental health before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated sociodemographic characteristics and COVID-19-related stressors
- Changes in the microbial spectrum and antimicrobial resistance of bloodstream infections in intensive care units before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Mental health changes and associations among nursing students in the post-pandemic era: a one-year longitudinal study
- Associations between lifestyle patterns during COVID-19 pandemic and mental health in athletes from 14 countries. An analysis by sex and sport level
- Healthcare experiences of the Chinese patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a national survey study
BibTeX
@article{raza2026time,
title = {{Time use changes before and during the pandemic and associations with health risks}},
author = {A Raza and PP Peristera and MV Virtanen and LM Hansson and JH Halonen},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1444},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1444},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Time use changes before and during the pandemic and associations with health risks
AU - A Raza
AU - PP Peristera
AU - MV Virtanen
AU - LM Hansson
AU - JH Halonen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1444
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1444
AB - 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.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -