Childhood Overweight and Obesity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fäldt, Anna; Nejat, Sahar; Durbeej, Natalie; Holmgren, Anton

doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0122

JAMA Pediatr

2024

DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0122

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Childhood Overweight and Obesity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Anna Fäldt,

Sahar Nejat,

Natalie Durbeej

et al.

Abstract: This cohort study analyzes the prevalence of overweight and obesity among preschool children in Sweden before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic and longitudinal trends in body mass index.

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Cited by 4 publications

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Burden of disease attributable to high body mass index: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Zhou,

Chen,

Yang

et al. 2024

eClinicalMedicine

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Burden of disease attributable to high body mass index: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Zhou,

Chen,

Yang

et al. 2024

eClinicalMedicine

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The prevalence of overweight among 4‐year‐olds during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic was associated with socioeconomic burden

Nylander,

Nowicka,

Derwig

2024

Acta Paediatrica

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AimTo assess the prevalence of overweight among Swedish 4 year olds in 2018, 2020 and 2022, taking socioeconomic variables into account.MethodsAggregated regional data on children's body mass index were collected. The socioeconomic Care Need Index (CNI), foreign background, low education, being a single parent, low income and childhood poverty, were assessed. The differences in overweight, including obesity, were tested for Sweden and for regions.ResultsData were available for 303 843 children, representing 87% of children born in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Overweight or obesity were found in 11 177 (11.4%) of children in 2022, decreasing from 2020 (13.3%, p < 0.001) but at the same level as in 2018. Regional low CNI, low level of foreign background, education and income as well as being a single parent were associated with a higher prevalence of overweight or obesity in all cohorts (p < 0.001). In regions with high levels of childhood poverty, overweight or obesity were more prevalent during (p = 0.009) and after the pandemic (p < 0.001).ConclusionThree national cohorts demonstrate that the increase in overweight during the COVID‐19 pandemic has returned to pre‐pandemic levels, but the inequalities in health associated with socioeconomic vulnerability of the regions remained.

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Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nutritional status of infants and toddlers: insights from China

Gu,

Yang,

2024

Popul Health Metrics

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Background A comprehensive understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood nutrition is crucial for devising effective mitigation strategies. However, existing knowledge regarding the pandemic’s effect on childhood nutritional status remains limited. Furthermore, research focusing on young children aged 0–3 years is scarce. Methods Leveraging the outbreak that originated in Wuhan in Dec 2019, the epicenter of China’s first and largest outbreak, and national survey and statistical yearbook data, this study conducted a natural experimental analysis with the consideration of geographical exposure, temporal exposure and survey cohort effects to investigate the pandemic’s impacts on varying nutritional indicators of infants and toddlers aged 0–36 months. A comprehensive set of sensitivity analyses, robustness checks and falsification tests were conducted. The potential heterogeneities across socioeconomic and age groups were also examined. Results The pandemic was robustly predictive of a higher weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) and length/height-for-age z-score (HAZ), and a lower likelihood of underweight. The effects of the pandemic on increasing WAZ and reducing underweight were more pronounced among children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or aged 0–12 months. Additionally, the increasing HAZ was primarily among children from households with lower family income. Moreover, the pandemic was negatively linked to the body mass index (BMI)-for-age z-score (BAZ) of children residing in more developed cities, and positively linked to overweight/obesity among children aged 13–24 months. Conclusions This study adds to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood nutrition. Notably, the findings highlight that weight gain attributable to the pandemic was predominantly among vulnerable children from disadvantaged backgrounds and younger age groups, who were already at a higher risk of overweight/obesity before the pandemic. Consequently, our findings imply the necessity of greater caution to the widened gap in childhood malnutrition post-pandemic. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of implementing adaptable strategies with the consideration of social justice to safeguard all children’s right to optimal growth from exogenous shocks and to achieve the children-related SDGs by 2030. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12963-024-00353-x.

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Childhood Overweight and Obesity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: This cohort study analyzes the prevalence of overweight and obesity among preschool children in Sweden before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic and longitudinal trends in body mass index.

Cited by 4 publications

References 8 publications

Burden of disease attributable to high body mass index: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Burden of disease attributable to high body mass index: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

The prevalence of overweight among 4‐year‐olds during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic was associated with socioeconomic burden

Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nutritional status of infants and toddlers: insights from China

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