Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to special circumstances and changes to everyday life due to the worldwide measures that were imposed such as lockdowns. This review aims to evaluate obesity in children, adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A literature search was conducted to evaluate pertinent studies up to 10 November 2020. Results: A total of 15 articles were eligible; 9 identified 17,028,111 children, adolescents and young adults from 5–25 years old, 5 pertained to studies with an age admixture (n = 20,521) and one study included parents with children 5–18 years old (n = 584). During the COVID-19 era, children, adolescents and young adults gained weight. Changes in dietary behaviors, increased food intake and unhealthy food choices including potatoes, meat and sugary drinks were noted during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity associated with financial reasons represents another concern. Moreover, as the restrictions imposed reduced movements out of the house, physical activity was limited, representing another risk factor for weight gain. Conclusions: COVID-19 restrictions disrupted the everyday routine of children, adolescents and young adults and elicited changes in their eating behaviors and physical activity. To protect them, health care providers should highlight the risk of obesity and provide prevention strategies, ensuring also parental participation. Worldwide policies, guidelines and precautionary measures should ideally be established.
This Letter presents the main findings of a systematic review of 21 studies (n = 33 398) on the psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 in children, adolescents, and young adults, following the PRISMA guidelines; the background, methods and results are presented as an online Supplement. According to our findings, excess worrying, irritability, home confinement, and fear of COVID-19 infection and transmission are associated with mild to severe anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 epidemic. 1 Isolation could be a risk factor for deterioration in mental health, including depressive and anxiety symptoms, distress, fear, post-traumatic stress, and insomnia. 2 Regarding anxiety disorders, the fear of COVID-19, widely known as 'coronaphobia,' has enhanced anxiety symptoms, with a further aggravating role mediated by isolation at home. 2 Individuals with anxiety disorders tend to be preoccupied with excessive hand-washing, extreme cautiousness, social distancing measures and unnecessary shopping. 3 Furthermore, a strong correlation between family relations and fear of contracting COVID-19 was noted. 4 Focusing especially on COVID-19-infected patients, they were also affected, expressing high anxiety levels, as reported in SARS and MERS patients in the past. 5 states among school-age children with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder during the COVID-19 outbreak.
In this cohort, most children with confirmed H1N1 infection experience an uncomplicated viral illness. Nevertheless, underlying asthma and obesity may aggravate their clinical course.
Background:The association of ozone exposure with respiratory outcomes has been investigated in epidemiologic studies mainly including asthmatic children. The findings reported had methodological gaps and inconsistencies.Objectives:We aimed to investigate effects of personal ozone exposure on various respiratory outcomes in school-age children generally representative of the population during their normal activities.Methods:We conducted a panel study in a representative sample of school-age children in the two major cities of Greece, Athens and Thessaloniki. We followed 188, 10- to 11-y-old, elementary school students for 5 wk spread throughout the 2013–2014 academic year, during which ozone was measured using personal samplers. At the end of each study week, spirometry was performed by trained physicians, and the fractional concentration of nitric oxide in exhaled air (FeNO) was measured. Students kept a daily time–activity–symptom diary and measured PEF (peak expiratory flow) using peak flow meters. Mixed models accounting for repeated measurements were applied.Results:An increase of 10 μg/m3 in weekly ozone concentration was associated with a decrease in FVC (forced vital capacity) and FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) of 0.03L [95% confidence interval (CI): −0.05, −0.01] and 0.01L (95% CI: −0.03, 0.003) respectively. The same increase in exposure was associated with a 11.10% (95% CI: 4.23, 18.43) increase in FeNO and 19% (95% CI: −0.53, 42.75) increase in days with any symptom. The effect estimates were robust to PM10 adjustment. No inverse association was found between ozone exposure and PEF.Conclusions:The study provides evidence that airway inflammation and the frequency of respiratory symptoms increase, whereas lung function decreases with increased ozone exposure in schoolchildren. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP635
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