Chris Lange, FISM News
Child obesity increased dramatically during the COVIDI-19 pandemic, particularly among 5- to 11-year-olds, according to a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network.
In the study, researchers compared the body mass index (BMI) in a sample group of nearly 200,000 children between the ages of 5 to 17 years during the 2020 pandemic to the same period in 2019. Their findings showed an alarming increase of 9.5% among 5- to 11-year-olds, 5.2% among 12- to 15-year-olds, and 3.1% among 16-17-year-olds.
According to a Sept. 17 CDC report, COVID-19 lockdowns which forced children out of “structured school settings” resulted in reduced opportunities for physical activity and less access to nutritious food. The report cited additional lockdown-related stressors, such as disruptions in home-life and loss of family income, as contributing factors to the rise in obesity.
“We need to immediately begin to invest in monitoring the worsening obesity epidemic and develop diet and activity interventions to help children achieve and maintain a healthy weight,” said the study’s senior author, Corinna Koebnick, Ph.D., of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation, where the study took place.
Earlier this month The American Academy of Pediatrics American Academy recommended that pediatricians assess patients for potential obesity-related risk factors and ensure the provision of counseling and screening for “patient and family stress, disordered eating, and social determinants of health.”
The study concluded with a recommendation that researchers monitor whether weight gain persists and how increased obesity will affect the long-term health of children, stating, “Intervention efforts to address COVID-19 related weight gain may be needed.”
“As children go back to school it will be important to focus on health and physical activity to help children not carry unwanted extra weight into adulthood,” said Koebnick.
A CDC report published earlier this month found that child obesity has risen 19% since August of 2020. An estimated 22% of children and teens were classified as obese last August, up from 19% a year earlier.