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As a result of the pandemic, a generation of American children will face a higher risk of ill health as adults.
More than a year of upheaval, anxiety and stress caused by the global coronavirus epidemic has put an end to the efforts of doctors and patients to fight another American killer: obesity. And this disregard for fitness had the biggest impact on children and teens, obviously, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the rate of increase in children’s BMIs , or body mass index, has “about doubled” last year.
Children who started 2020 with normal weight, or overweight, showed increased BMI rates across the board, according to the new study, released Friday, while the underweight cohort saw little to no change.
The surge was particularly striking among preschool and school-aged children, compared to adolescents of the same body type.
“There is definitely more obesity in the teenage population,” Dr. David Buchin, director of bariatric surgery at Northwell Health-Huntington Hospital, told The Post. Uncontrolled obesity during childhood guarantees an increased risk of developing comorbidities in adulthood, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea and heart disease, to name a few. (It’s also a risk factor for COVID-19.)
“In terms of weight loss surgery, this is one of the busiest years we’ve ever had,” he said. While adults are his primary patients, he has seen children as young as 10 years old under the knife for gastric surgery. His team performed a sleeve gastrectomy on a 13-year-old teenager during the summer.
Dr Jun Tashiro, a pediatric surgeon at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in NYU Langone, also reported increased interest in their healthy weight program for adolescents. This is part of the steady growth the field of bariatric surgery has seen over the past decade, although the pandemic has done patients a favor.
“This is one of the biggest problems that some of my patients have brought,” Dr. Tashiro told The Post. “This pandemic has really set them back on weight loss goals… or they’ve gotten heavier than they’ve ever been before.”
The results mean that children who were already behind in terms of healthy weights now have even more catching up work to do. For people with moderate or severe obesity, “it is very, very difficult to lose weight,” said Dr Buchin. “As an adult, as a child, at any age.”
While genetics certainly play a role, health officials blame the lockdown conditions under the pandemic for the peak, leaving young college students without enough active play time, or a balanced diet provided by the school for some families. disadvantaged. Additionally, the stress of a lifestyle disruption has left some exhausted parents without the time, energy or financial support to promote healthy habits in their children.
“I see it in my own children,” added Dr Buchin, who understands the struggle to keep children away from screens. “It’s much easier to put them in front of the TV and leave me alone.”
The CDC report was based on a database that draws on the medical records of more than 430,000 American children between the ages of 2 and 19. The researchers targeted data from BMI, a measure that takes into account a person’s height and weight, indicating whether their fat distribution is proportional or indicates obesity.
It is not a perfect measure of overall health; instead, it shows doctors if children are growing disproportionately at a rapid rate, indicating uncontrolled weight gain.
The rate of change in obese children during the eight-month study was 5.3 times higher during the pandemic, suggesting weight gain. On average, these kids gained between 1.0 and 1.2 pounds per month, according to the CDC.
“Weight gain at this rate over 6 months is estimated to be 6.1 and 7.6 pounds (2.8 and 3.5 kilograms), respectively, compared to 2.7 pounds (1.2 kilograms) in a person with a healthy weight, ”they explained in their report.
Researchers call for “increased access to efforts that promote healthy behaviors” and coordinated efforts to “facilitate healthy eating and physical activity.” Education about nutrition, fitness and mental health triggers jointly play a role in tackling the obesity epidemic. “Prevention is always the key,” said Dr Tashiro.
Tashiro and others hope to see a correction to these “disappointing” statistics as the world slowly adapts to the changes brought on by the pandemic. Many families eat at home more often with homemade foods. As the vaccine rollout continues, students are returning to schools, physical education classes, team sports and outdoor games. And there may be a silver lining to it.
“I think we’ve adapted as a society as well,” Dr Tashiro said. “I think that’s where we’re going to be able to tackle and sort of move forward on this specific issue.”
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