The COVID-19 pandemic: an unprecedented tragedy in the battle against childhood obesity

Abstract

The childhood obesity pandemic has emerged as an important public health problem in many countries. Obese children are likely to become obese adults, and adult obesity is associated with an increased risk of morbidity. Therefore, controlling the childhood obesity epidemic has become a top public health priority worldwide. The current COVID-19 pandemic may significantly impede this important mission and constitute an unprecedented tragedy in the global battle against childhood obesity. This manuscript presents evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic will aggravate the childhood obesity epidemic and lead to significant weight gain in school children by creating an unprecedented obesogenic environment. Within the last few months, many countries took uncompromising measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including school closures and quarantine. While these steps are often necessary to ensure infection control, they may have a significant negative effect on children's mental and physical health. Physical, nutritional, and psychosocial factors that promote obesity in children during this special situation complementarily contribute to an unprecedented obesogenic environment. Large-scale quarantine and home confinement will impose new and unfamiliar stressors on children, thereby worsening the childhood obesity epidemic. Most importantly, adverse childhood events resulting from a predicted increase in domestic violence within the next few months will significantly contribute to this concern. The scenario presented in this review is of paramount public health importance and must be considered during future pandemic planning. Involved stakeholders, including governments, schools, and families, must make all possible efforts to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on childhood obesity.

Family Food Environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

“…Perhaps a comprehensive and integrated approach that includes healthcare professionals, schools, and parents working together can be effective at helping families to get back on track with resuming healthy habits and losing excess weight. This should be of paramount concern for public health [36], given the high rates of obesity in the nation [37] and the associated risks of hospitalization and morbidity linked to COVID-19 [38].…”

SARS-CoV-2 Acquisition and Immune Pathogenesis Among School-Aged Learners in Four Diverse Schools

“…24 Increases in physical inactivity and weight in children have accompanied school closures over the past year. 25,26 Widespread implementation of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination 27 is many months away, and it is likely that adherence to COVID-19 mitigation procedures, including physical distancing and face covering, will need to continue for the near future. Previous studies cited above all highlighted the need to achieve high fidelity of COVID-19 mitigation procedures if viral transmission were to be limited.…”

“…24 Increases in physical inactivity and weight in children have accompanied school closures over the past year. 25,26…”

Joint Effort towards Preventing Nutritional Deficiencies at the Extremes of Life during COVID-19

“…On the other hand, several surveys carried out during national lockdowns in Western countries have also pointed out that the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may also explicate with the increasing sedentary lifestyles, as well as with the indulgence in poor diet choices (increased junk food consumption accompanied to scarce adherence to healthy diet), especially among the youngest [ 72 ]. Thus, COVID-19 may also negatively affect children’s nutritional status and healthiness by creating an obesogenic environment [ 73 ], consequently increasing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children [ 74 ]. The negative impact of SARS-CoV-2 is, therefore, undeniable as it may pose a threat to the programs aiming to educate on nutrition and to prevent both under- and overnutrition [ 14 , 63 ].…”