Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Introduction: We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on physical activity (PA) in a veteran population with implanted cardiac devices by analyzing data from the devices’ embedded accelerometers. These accelerometers provide continuous, objective measurements of PA without requiring active patient participation or incurring additional costs, making them valuable for longitudinal monitoring and clinical research. Compared to pedometers, accelerometers have demonstrated superior accuracy and reliability in assessing physical activity levels.
Methods: A total of 734 veterans with implanted Medtronic pacemakers or defibrillators at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center were screened for inclusion following IRB approval. Of these, 360 patients (aged 36–100 years; mean age 75.5 years) had continuous device-derived physical activity (PA) data available from 2018 through 2022. Data from 2018 and 2019 were categorized as the pre-COVID control period, while data from 2020, 2021, and 2022 were analyzed as the post-COVID study period.
Results: There was a significant decline in physical activity (PA) recorded by the implanted cardiac devices between the pre-COVID and post-COVID periods (3.00 hr/day vs. 2.64 hr/day), representing a mean decrease of 0.37 hr/day (95% CI: 0.29 to 0.45; p < 0.0001). This downward trend in PA persisted even after public health restrictions were lifted.
Conclusions: In a veteran population with implanted cardiac devices, physical activity significantly declined following the onset of COVID-19 and remained reduced through 2022, despite the lifting of public health restrictions. These findings highlight the lasting impact of the pandemic on functional status and underscore the value of device-based monitoring for long-term health surveillance. This has important implications for managing physical activity and health outcomes during future epidemics and pandemics.