Pandemic led to rise in childhood obesity

Obesity is a serious health condition globallythat leads to adverse health outcomes if not controlled. The proportion ofobese people and children has increased particularly after the pandemic due toseveral reasons.

A recent study, published in the EuropeanJournal of Public Health, is based on data concerning 25,049 children agedthree to five who have undergone regular health checks at child health centers.The counties taking part were Dalarna, Jönköping, and Sörmland.

Previous studies in this area have oftenfocused on children of school age or in countries with tighter restrictionsthan Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this country, activities atpreschool and compulsory school (up to age 16) continued broadly as usual.

The study was headed by Anton Holmgren,research associate in pediatrics at Sahlgrenska Academy, University ofGothenburg, and Anna Fält, researcher in child health and parenthood at UppsalaUniversity.

Significant rise in BMI

The study documents a statisticallysignificant rise in the BMI (body mass index) of three-year-olds during thepandemic. Among the girls, the proportion with obesity rose from 2.8 percentbefore to 3.9 percent during the pandemic. For the boys, the correspondingproportions were 2.4 and 2.6 percent.

The proportion of three-year-old girls withwhat is usually classified as normal weight declined from 82.6 percent beforeto 80.9 percent during the pandemic. There was no corresponding change innormal weight status in the group of three-year-old boys.

Among the four-year-olds, there was asignificant increase in BMI. Obesity rose in the girls and boys alike:Overweight rose from 11.1 to 12.8 percent of the girls, while underweight inthe boys fell from 2.0 to 1.4 percent. The group of five-year-olds showed noBMI changes.

BMI changes and socioeconomic status werefound to be associated, most clearly among children in the most disadvantagedareas. There, the proportion of three- and four-year-olds with overweight rosefrom 9.5 to 12.4 and with obesity from 2.5 to 4.4 percent, while the proportionwith normal weight decreased.

More focused measures needed

Socioeconomic variables were measured using anestablished method, the Care Need Index (CNI), which classifies expected carerequirements based on education level; the proportion of unemployed or inlabor-market programs; the proportion of single parents; and the proportionborn outside the western world.

"Although Sweden didn't have a lockdown in thesame way as many other countries during the pandemic, the incidence ofoverweight and obesity increased in three- and four-year-olds, and even at sucha young age the socioeconomic differences are evident," notes Anton Holmgren,the study's corresponding author.

"The study highlights the need for furtherefforts and interventions aimed at preventing childhood obesity, especially inareas of lower socioeconomic status," he says.

Reference:

Anton Holmgren et al,Increased incidence ofoverweight and obesity among preschool Swedish children during the COVID-19pandemic,European Journal of Public Health,DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac181