School closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic will exacerbate the epidemic of childhood obesity, Public health scientists predict.
The Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Dr Andrew Rundle and colleagues whose perspective article appears in Obesity, the journal of the Obesity Society, stated that in many areas of the US and across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools and some of these school systems are not expected to re-open this school year.
“The experiences in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore suggest that social distancing orders if lifted after short periods will have to be periodically re-instated to control COVID-19 flare-ups.
“While much has been written about poor food and lack of physical activity in schools, the data shows that children experience unhealthy weight gain primarily during the summer months when they are out of school. Unhealthy weight gain over the summer school recess is particularly apparent for Hispanic and African-American youth, and children who are already overweight.”
Dr Rundle who specialises in research to prevent childhood obesity, said there could be long-term consequences for weight gained while children are out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that research shows that weight gained over the summer months is maintained during the school year and accrues summer to summer. “When a child experiences obesity, even at a young age, they are at risk for higher, unhealthy weight, all the way into middle age.”
“As households stock up on shelf-stable foods, they appear to be purchasing ultra-processed, calorie-dense comfort foods. In regards to physical activity, social distancing and stay at home orders reduce the opportunities for exercise, particularly for children in urban areas living in small apartments.
“Sedentary activities and screen time are expected to expand under social distancing orders; available data shows that online video game usage is already soaring. Screen time is associated with experiencing overweight/obesity in childhood, likely because of the dual issues of sedentary time and the association between screen time and snacking.”
The researchers presented several interventions for reducing risk factors for unhealthy weight gain during the school closures.
As schools build their remote teaching capacity, they should make physical education a priority, with home lesson plans for physical activity and/or streaming exercise classes.
