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Effects of COVID‐19 Lockdown on Lifestyle Behaviors in Children with Obesity Living in Verona, Italy: A Longitudinal Study
Author(s) -
Pietrobelli Angelo,
Pecoraro Luca,
Ferruzzi Alessandro,
Heo Moonseong,
Faith Myles,
Zoller Thomas,
Antoniazzi Franco,
Piacentini Giorgio,
Fearnbach S. Nicole,
Heymsfield Steven B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22861
Subject(s) - medicine , obesity , longitudinal study , pandemic , covid-19 , observational study , screen time , demography , pediatrics , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , sociology
Objective The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that youths with obesity, when removed from structured school activities and confined to their homes during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, will display unfavorable trends in lifestyle behaviors. Methods The sample included 41 children and adolescents with obesity participating in a longitudinal observational study located in Verona, Italy. Lifestyle information including diet, activity, and sleep behaviors was collected at baseline and 3 weeks into the national lockdown during which home confinement was mandatory. Changes in outcomes over the two study time points were evaluated for significance using paired t tests. Results There were no changes in reported vegetable intake; fruit intake increased ( P = 0.055) during the lockdown. By contrast, potato chip, red meat, and sugary drink intakes increased significantly during the lockdown ( P value range, 0.005 to < 0.001). Time spent in sports activities decreased by 2.30 (SD 4.60) h/wk ( P = 0.003), and sleep time increased by 0.65 (SD 1.29) h/d ( P = 0.003). Screen time increased by 4.85 (SD 2.40) h/d ( P < 0.001). Conclusions Recognizing these adverse collateral effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic lockdown is critical in avoiding depreciation of weight control efforts among youths afflicted with excess adiposity. Depending on duration, these untoward lockdown effects may have a lasting impact on a child’s or adolescent’s adult adiposity level.