Abstract:Introduction: Overweight and obesity among adults and children has increased dramatically worldwide in the last few decades. Overweight children usually remain overweight in adulthood and develop lots of comorbidities. It is therefore important to take preventive measures as early as possible to counteract this trend. Objective: To find out what effect the temporary school closure in Austria due to COVID-19 had on the school children in terms of body weight. Methods: Anthropometric parameters (bodyweight, bo… Show more
“…This study showed rising levels of overweight/obesity during the first pandemic period, as reported in a southern Austrian city [34] and worldwide [13]. Indeed, previous reports from the EDDY study showed that during the onset of the pandemic, children's body weight increased by about 4.5 kg, whereas the previous year, the average increase in body weight was below 3 kg [15]. Moreover, during the strictest period of the lockdown, boys increased 1.67 kg more than girls [35], a fact that was also observed in Klagenfurt, Austria, where boys' increase in BMI SD scores (0.23; 95% CI, 0.18-0.29) was greater than among girls (0.09; 95% CI, 0.04-0.15) [36].…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 73%
“…Therefore, this study does not include linked samples of participants. The sample belonged to the EDDY ("Effect of sports and diet training to prevent obesity and secondary diseases and to influence young children's lifestyle") study, an intervention study aiming to improve nutrition and physical activity habits by imparting a six-month educational training in 4th-grade students [15]. The EDDY study was initiated by the Austrian Academic Institute for Nutrition in Vienna, Austria, in collaboration with the Institute for Sports and Movement Science at the University of Vienna.…”
Section: Samplementioning
confidence: 99%
“…During the latter period, overall, school-age children's body weight and body mass index (BMI) increased (mean differences of 2.67 kg and 0.77 kg/m 2 , respectively) despite the heterogeneity of studies [13]. In Austria, a higher increase in body weight was reported in school-aged children during the lockdown period compared to the previous year [15]. Acknowledging all factors that mediate obesity during childhood while planning prevention interventions is essential to determine the effectiveness of the interventions [16].…”
In Austria, childhood obesity is a public health concern. This study examined time trends in the percentage of obesity among a sample of schoolchildren from Vienna (2017–2023). The body mass index percentiles of 326 children [9.3 years old (95% CI 8.3–10.5, min–max 8.0–10.9] from the EDDY study were calculated for trend analyses. Trend analysis was performed using a logistic regression using overweight and obesity as dependent binary variables, and study year and age as independent continuous variables. The percentage change over time was calculated, including the first period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Obesity percentages increased from 23.5 (95% CI 15.1–31.9)% in 2017 to 25.0 (95% CI 12.2–37.8)% in 2023. From 2017 to 2023, while overweight/obesity percentages decreased by 25.9 (−59.5–15.6)%, obesity increased by 6.4 (−51.2–94.9)%. A non-significant trend (p ≥ 0.38) was observed. During the first period of the pandemic, the percentage changes in overweight/obesity and obesity were 68.4 (5.6–187.9)% and 29.2 (−37.3–166.8)%, respectively. The current percentage of obesity in this sample is high and peaked in 2020 during the pandemic. These findings emphasize the need for future investigations considering the representativeness of the school-aged population in Austria to gain a broader picture of overweight and obesity trends.
“…This study showed rising levels of overweight/obesity during the first pandemic period, as reported in a southern Austrian city [34] and worldwide [13]. Indeed, previous reports from the EDDY study showed that during the onset of the pandemic, children's body weight increased by about 4.5 kg, whereas the previous year, the average increase in body weight was below 3 kg [15]. Moreover, during the strictest period of the lockdown, boys increased 1.67 kg more than girls [35], a fact that was also observed in Klagenfurt, Austria, where boys' increase in BMI SD scores (0.23; 95% CI, 0.18-0.29) was greater than among girls (0.09; 95% CI, 0.04-0.15) [36].…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 73%
“…Therefore, this study does not include linked samples of participants. The sample belonged to the EDDY ("Effect of sports and diet training to prevent obesity and secondary diseases and to influence young children's lifestyle") study, an intervention study aiming to improve nutrition and physical activity habits by imparting a six-month educational training in 4th-grade students [15]. The EDDY study was initiated by the Austrian Academic Institute for Nutrition in Vienna, Austria, in collaboration with the Institute for Sports and Movement Science at the University of Vienna.…”
Section: Samplementioning
confidence: 99%
“…During the latter period, overall, school-age children's body weight and body mass index (BMI) increased (mean differences of 2.67 kg and 0.77 kg/m 2 , respectively) despite the heterogeneity of studies [13]. In Austria, a higher increase in body weight was reported in school-aged children during the lockdown period compared to the previous year [15]. Acknowledging all factors that mediate obesity during childhood while planning prevention interventions is essential to determine the effectiveness of the interventions [16].…”
In Austria, childhood obesity is a public health concern. This study examined time trends in the percentage of obesity among a sample of schoolchildren from Vienna (2017–2023). The body mass index percentiles of 326 children [9.3 years old (95% CI 8.3–10.5, min–max 8.0–10.9] from the EDDY study were calculated for trend analyses. Trend analysis was performed using a logistic regression using overweight and obesity as dependent binary variables, and study year and age as independent continuous variables. The percentage change over time was calculated, including the first period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Obesity percentages increased from 23.5 (95% CI 15.1–31.9)% in 2017 to 25.0 (95% CI 12.2–37.8)% in 2023. From 2017 to 2023, while overweight/obesity percentages decreased by 25.9 (−59.5–15.6)%, obesity increased by 6.4 (−51.2–94.9)%. A non-significant trend (p ≥ 0.38) was observed. During the first period of the pandemic, the percentage changes in overweight/obesity and obesity were 68.4 (5.6–187.9)% and 29.2 (−37.3–166.8)%, respectively. The current percentage of obesity in this sample is high and peaked in 2020 during the pandemic. These findings emphasize the need for future investigations considering the representativeness of the school-aged population in Austria to gain a broader picture of overweight and obesity trends.
“…Während der Schulschließungen in der COVID-19-Pandemie 2020 kam es zu einem dramatischen Anstieg des Körpergewichts im Vergleich zur Interventionsphase im Schuljahr 2018/2019 (Abb. 7 ) [ 5 ]. …”
Immer mehr Kinder und Jugendliche sind von Übergewicht und Adipositas betroffen. Besonders schwerwiegend sind dabei die damit verbundenen Folgeerkrankungen wie z. B. Diabetes mellitus, Fettleber, Bluthochdruck, Gelenksveränderungen und psychische Störungen. Experten der Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung gehen davon aus, dass übergewichtbedingte Erkrankungen in den nächsten 30 Jahren 90 Mio. Todesfälle verursachen und die Lebenserwartung um etwa 3 Jahre verkürzen werden. Adipositas und Übergewicht im Kindes- und Jugendalter ist ein weltweites Gesundheitsproblem, das vielfach nicht adäquat diagnostiziert und behandelt wird. Prävention wirkt und sollte bereits im Kindes- und Jugendalter beginnen.
“…Ergebnisse Bisherige Studienergebnisse haben gezeigt, dass eine statistisch signifikante Verbesserung der körperlichen Leistungsfähigkeit 5 , sowie ein verbessertes Ernährungswissen in der Interventionsgruppe durch das EDDY-Projekt 6 erreicht werden konnte. Zudem zeigten die Daten unserer Testungen, dass übergewichtige Kinder einen deutlich höheren Bluthochdruck haben als dies bei Normalgewichtigen der Fall ist 7 .…”
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