Kids’ Weight Gain in the Pandemic Is Alarming Doctors

A disruption in routines has contributed to worrying weight gains and weight-related health issues among children, pediatricians say

By Sumathi Reddy of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"A May study in the journal Pediatrics found that the percentage of children ages 2 to 17 who are obese increased to 15.4% in June to December 2020 compared with 13.7% in the year-earlier period. Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia analyzed pre-pandemic and pandemic body mass index calculations from more than 500,000 visits to doctors’ offices in 2019 and 2020.

“We found a pretty striking increase in obesity rates,” says Brian Jenssen, first author of the study and a pediatrician at CHOP. The data indicated the percentage of children categorized as overweight grew to about 16% from about 14%, Dr. Jenssen says, although those numbers weren’t published in the study, which focused on obesity.

Dr. Jenssen said the biggest increase in obesity was in children ages 5 to 9; their obesity rate went to 16.8% from 14.2%. Children and adolescents from lower-income households and those who are Latino also showed larger-than-average increases."

"Like many adults, kids are snacking more and moving less. Doctors attribute the weight gain to a loss of routine over the past year—especially with remote schooling—which has disrupted kids’ usual eating, activity and sleep habits. Kids are also often eating without supervision, with parents working from home."