Impact and recovery of the COVID ‐19 pandemic on weight status of children and adolescents

This study used routinely collected clinical data from the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, comprising two socio-demographically diverse children's hospitals in New South Wales, Australia from 2018 to 2021. Of 245  836 individuals ≤18-years assessed, mean BMI percentile increased from 58.7 (SD 31.6) pre-COVID-19 to 59.8 (SD 31.7) (p <  .05) post-restrictions and overweight/obesity increased by 5.5% (obesity alone 6.3%), predominantly in children<12-years and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The trend in BMI percentile was steady pre-COVID-19 (β = −0.03 [95% CI −0.07, 0.01]), peaked immediately following COVID-19 restrictions (β = 1.28 [95% CI 0.24, 2.32]) and returned to pre-pandemic levels over ensuing 21 months (β = −0.04 [95% CI –0.13, 0.04]). Routine anthropometric measurement facilitates ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the weight status of children and adolescents, helping to identify those at-risk. Despite initial BMI and weight increases among children and adolescents, longer-term follow-up h ighlighted a return to pre-pandemic rates, possibly attributed to state-wide policies aimed at reducing childhood obesity.
Source: Clinical Obesity - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL RESEARCH Source Type: research