Premium
Weighing in on COVID‐19: The impact of the pandemic on children and adolescents with obesity participating in a weight management program
Author(s) -
Patel Barkha P.,
Sathiyamoorthy Thrmiga,
Giruparajah Mohana,
Toulany Alene,
Hamilton Jill K.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
pediatric obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.226
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 2047-6310
pISSN - 2047-6302
DOI - 10.1111/ijpo.12948
Subject(s) - medicine , body mass index , pandemic , obesity , cohort , demography , cohort study , weight management , covid-19 , gerontology , weight loss , disease , sociology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Summary Background COVID‐19 mitigation measures, including closures of schools and recreational facilities and alterations in eating behaviours and physical activity, may impact weight. Objective To examine changes in body weight and body mass index (BMI) in children and adolescents with obesity participating in an obesity treatment program before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada. Methods Body weight and BMI at baseline and 6 months were recorded for the ‘historic’ cohort (females = 34, males = 21) before the pandemic (November 1, 2018, to March 18, 2020) and for the ‘pandemic’ cohort (females = 30, males = 30) during the pandemic (March 19, 2020 to July 31, 2021). Analyses were adjusted for baseline weight/BMI, age, and ON‐Marg score, a measure of the social determinants of health. Results In males, body weight (98.29 versus 89.28 kg, p < 0.001) and BMI (36.46 versus 34.85 kg/m 2 , p = 0.027) were greater in the pandemic compared with historic cohort. In females, body weight ( p = 0.769) and BMI ( p = 0.548) were not different between the two cohorts. Conclusion The COVID‐19 pandemic may have diminished the health impacts of a weight management program, particularly in males, leading to increased body weight and BMI.