COVID-19 and Nutrition: The Need for Initiatives to Promote Healthy Eating and Prevent Obesity in Childhood

Ribeiro, Karla Danielly da Silva; Garcia, Lígia Rejane Siqueira; Dametto, Juliana Fernandes dos Santos; Assunção, Débora Gabriela Fernandes; Maciel, Bruna Leal Lima

doi:10.1089/chi.2020.0121

Cited by 48 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…As a consequence, stress-eating of readily available high calorie dense food and sugary beverages ensues [7]. Such actions enhanced the susceptibility to weight gain especially if the amount of daily physical activity was reduced due the restrictions implemented [8]. However, not every household under lockdown experienced such a change in behavioural attitude or food habits as some families considered these unprecedented times as the perfect opportunity to cook homemade food and opted to buy fresher food more than before [8].…”

Section: Effect On Dietary Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such actions enhanced the susceptibility to weight gain especially if the amount of daily physical activity was reduced due the restrictions implemented [8]. However, not every household under lockdown experienced such a change in behavioural attitude or food habits as some families considered these unprecedented times as the perfect opportunity to cook homemade food and opted to buy fresher food more than before [8]. Such a positive experience might have a long term effect on children's food intake and preference for fruit and vegetables [9].…”

Section: Effect On Dietary Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19: a one-way ticket to a global childhood obesity crisis?

Cuschieri

Grech

2020

J Diabetes Metab Disord

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Obesity is a global epidemic based on three major pillars of (i) genetic (ii) behavioural and (iii) environmental determinants. The latter two pillars have been challenged during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic across all population age groups including children. The closure of schools resulted in decreased organised physical activity, increase in sedentary lifestyle and screen time with the possibility of stress-induced indulgence in high calorie dense and sugary foods, resulting in higher susceptibility to weight gain. The uncertainty faced by many Northern Hemisphere governments as the new scholastic year looms closer whether to open schools again or not further enhances the stress on the children and their family. Reopening of schools is beneficial for children's mental and physical health, and general wellbeing including the 'combating' of the childhood obesity epidemic. The family unit has also been challenged during this pandemic especially if the parent/s suffered redundancy. There have been attempts at seeing a silver lining as some families have embraced lockdowns as a means to strengthen their family bonds, increase homemade meals apart from the various virtual opportunities that were streamed on social media to encourage children to perform physical activity at home or in safe environments. However, curbing the viral spread while protecting population health will remain top priority until an effective COVID-19 vaccine is available. It is imperative to address other co-existing problems such as childhood obesity, which if uncontrolled may have a long-term profound health and economic consequence of higher eminence than the actual COVID-19 infection. The prevention and management of childhood obesity should be set as a priority at an individual, community and population level during this pandemic.

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Section: Effect On Dietary Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effect On Dietary Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19: a one-way ticket to a global childhood obesity crisis?

Cuschieri

Grech

2020

J Diabetes Metab Disord

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“…Reports from the US stated that 1.27 million new childhood obesity cases were recorded until December 2020 if schools did not reopen [8]. Therefore, the need to promote the adoption of healthy nutritional status in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic has been actively supported [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obesity in Children and Adolescents during COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

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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.

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“… 13 Healthy diets can protect the community from an excessive inflammatory response to coronavirus. 14 During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity among Saudis decreased since most sports facilities were forced to close by the government. The reduction in physical activity can lead to positive energy balance and increased body weight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Covid-19 Pandemic's Impact on Eating Habits in Saudi Arabia

Alhusseini

Alqahtani

2020

Journal of Public Health Research

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Background: COVID-19 virus has been reported as a pandemic in March 2020 by the WHO. Having a balanced and healthy diet routine can help boost the immune system, which is essential in fighting viruses. Public Health officials enforced lockdown for residents resulting in dietary habits change to combat sudden changes. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating habits, quality and quantity of food intake among adults in Saudi Arabia. SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the data. Comparison between general dietary habits before and during COVID-19 for ordinal variables was performed by Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, while McNemar test was performed for nominal variables. The paired samples t-test was used to compare the total scores for food quality and quantity before and during COVID-19 periods.Results: 2706 adults residing in Riyadh completed the survey. The majority (85.6%) of the respondents reported eating home-cooked meals on a daily basis during COVID-19 as compared to 35.6% before (p<0.001). The mean score for the quality of food intake was slightly higher (p=0.002) before the COVID-19 period (16.46±2.84) as compared to the during period (16.39±2.79). The quantity of food mean score was higher (p<0.001) during the COVID-19 period (15.70±2.66) as compared to the before period (14.62±2.71).Conclusion: Dietary habits have changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic among Riyadh residents. Although some good habits increased, the quality and the quantity of the food was compromised. Public Health officials must focus on increased awareness on healthy eating during pandemics to avoid negative consequences. Future research is recommended to better understand the change in dietary habits during pandemics using a detailed food frequency questionnaire.

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COVID-19 and Nutrition: The Need for Initiatives to Promote Healthy Eating and Prevent Obesity in Childhood

Cited by 48 publications

References 21 publications

COVID-19: a one-way ticket to a global childhood obesity crisis?

COVID-19: a one-way ticket to a global childhood obesity crisis?

Obesity in Children and Adolescents during COVID-19 Pandemic

Covid-19 Pandemic's Impact on Eating Habits in Saudi Arabia

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