A qualitative study investigating the impact of flexible working on a sample of UK employees' physical activity, sedentary behaviours and healthy eating habits during the first 12-months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Bertiz, Firuze

Abstract

Objectives: Between March 2020 and July 2021, many UK employees transitioned to more flexible work arrangements in response to a series of lockdown rules and restrictions implemented by UK Governments to tackle the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This qualitative study sought to: (1) explore how this sudden transition to more flexible working affected a sample of UK employees’ lifestyle choices relating to physical activity, sedentary behaviours and healthy eating habits during the first 12-months of the pandemic; and (2) use a health psychology model (the COM-B model of behaviour developed by Michie, Van Stralen & West, 2011) as an overarching framework to analyse and interpret the potential role individual-level factors (e.g. capability, opportunity and motivation) may have played in this relationship.

Methodology: 22 participants took part in semi-structured remote interviews between 9th April and 16th July 2021. All participants were recruited from the same organisation, a sight loss charity in the UK. The age range of the sample was 20 to 60 years. 19 of the participants self-identified as female and 3 self-identified as male. 4 participants self-disclosed a sensory disability during the interview process, whilst 16 did not disclose any disability. The data gathered was analysed via a codebook approach to Thematic Analysis, utilising both deductive (theory-led) and inductive (data-driven) coding strategies.

Findings: The analysis generated three overarching themes. The first theme (‘Theme 1: A perceived loss of opportunities’) explored how a sudden loss of access to certain physical and social opportunities during the pandemic significantly disrupted participants’ pre-pandemic habits and routines relating to physical activity, sedentary behaviours and healthy eating habits. This included the opportunities participants lost access to as a result of leaving their ‘usual’ workplace (e.g. opportunities for active travel, opportunities for unscheduled exercise throughout the working day, opportunities to buy healthy foods from nearby cafés, etc.) as well as the opportunities they lost access to as a result of lockdown closures (e.g. sports and leisure facilities, group-based exercise, etc.). More widely, this theme examined the perceived health consequences of some of these experiences (e.g. deteriorations in participants’ fitness levels, weight gain and poorer mental wellbeing).

The second theme (‘Theme 2: Coping with change’) examined how participants’ overall experiences of coping with unexpected change throughout the pandemic had a knock-on impact on their ability and motivation to engage in certain lifestyle choices. It specifically examined the perceived impact of changing work demands and practices on their ability to engage in certain health behaviours during and outside their working hours as well as the overall impact of lockdown rules and restrictions on their motivation to take care of their wellbeing throughout the first 12-months of the pandemic.

The final theme (‘Theme 3: The unanticipated benefits of a pandemic’) explored how despite some of the ongoing challenges participants have experienced, there were also some benefits of flexible working on their capability, opportunity and motivation to engage in some positive health habits during the first 12-months of the pandemic (e.g. greater engagement in indoor exercise, outdoor walking and remote exercise initiatives, etc.). It also explored how, as a result of the pandemic, many participants now had some renewed expectations from their employer regarding the future of their work practices, including a desire to embrace more blended work practices beyond COVID-19 (e.g. a hybrid between home working and working from a ‘traditional’ workplace).

Conclusions: Flexible working during the first 12-months of the pandemic has had a mixed impact on participants’ physical activity, sedentary behaviours and healthy eating habits. As such, findings cautiously suggest that this population may benefit from more targeted health behaviour change interventions and policies which take into consideration their unique needs. Furthermore, findings suggest that hybrid working may perhaps offer employees access to the health-related benefits that comes with ‘both worlds’. Nevertheless, further research is needed to test this hypothesis.

Citation

Bertiz, F. A qualitative study investigating the impact of flexible working on a sample of UK employees' physical activity, sedentary behaviours and healthy eating habits during the first 12-months of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Thesis). University of the West of England. Retrieved from https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10107792

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 1, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 6, 2023
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10107792
• Award Date: Jun 6, 2023