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The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to an “alarming” increase in obesity among American children and adolescents, with the weight of severely obese children doubling during the pandemic, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined more than 400,000 adolescents.
They found that the share of children suffering from obesity in the United States rose from 19% to 22% from August 2020 to August 2021, an increase of 15%.
For severely obese children, the expected annual weight gain increased from 8.8 pounds to 14.6 pounds, or nearly double.
The study highlights one of the many long-term issues that could arise in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and something health officials will need to worry about moving forward in. a post-Covid world.
Children aged three to five who were already severely obese at the start of the pandemic (solid blue line) saw their BMI increase sharply during the pandemic
Almost all children aged 6 to 11, regardless of their weight at the start of the pandemic, have seen their weight increase during the pandemic
For the study, the team looked at data from more than 432,302 Americans between the ages of two and 19.
Children, whether overweight or not, also gain more weight than usual.
Before the pandemic, children who were at a healthy weight gained an average of 3.4 pounds per year. This rose to 5.4 pounds during the pandemic.
For moderately obese children, the expected weight gain dropped from 6.5 pounds a year before the pandemic to 12 pounds after the onset of the pandemic.
The obesity rate increased most dramatically among children aged 6 to 11, who are more dependent on their parents and may have been affected most when schools suspended in-person classes, the researchers said.
Dr Alyson Goodman, a medical epidemiologist and pediatrician at the CDC, called the trend “alarming.”
It is also the sign of a vicious circle.
The pandemic appears to worsen the country’s long-running obesity epidemic, and obesity may put people at risk of more serious illness after coronavirus infection.
CDC officials recently warned of America’s obesity problem.
Earlier this week, the agency reported that sixteen states have an obesity rate of 35% or more, the highest on record for the country.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia have now reached dangerous levels of obesity.
The obesity epidemic has worsened particularly in recent years, with the total number of states with a rate of over 35% having almost doubled since 2018.
Teens aged 12 to 17 saw their weight increase after the pandemic while those aged 18 to 20 saw their weight remain relatively stable
Obese people are at high risk for heart disease, joint problems, type 2 diabetes and other conditions (file photo)
The new CDC study found that children five and under who were already severely obese before the pandemic had their body mass index (BMI) dropping from 24 to 26 on average.
The worst off group were severely obese children between the ages of six and 11, whose BMIs fell from 26 to 31 on average during the pandemic.
Almost all children aged 6 to 11, regardless of their previous fitness level, gained weight during the pandemic, according to the study.
Being obese as a child could open the door to a variety of health issues, both now and in the future.
Overweight children are more likely to be obese in adulthood and to develop high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or joint problems.
They can also develop psychological problems such as low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
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