Increased weight gain of children during the COVID-19 lockdown

Background: The COVID-19 “social-distancing” strategy including seven-weeks of strict lockdown enabled an extraordinary test of stay-at-home regulations, with sedentary lifestyle, forced on all children and adolescents.

Objective: This study is aimed to assess the lockdown effect on pediatric weight.

Methods: A retrospective-prospective cohort study at our hospital’s pediatric outpatient clinics following the COVID-19 lockdown. Patients aged 0-18 years visiting the clinic were weighed and previous weight and other clinical data were collected from the medical charts. Weight-percentile-for-age standardization was calculated according to the CDC/WHO databases. Pre-and-post-lockdown weight-percentiles-for-age were compared using paired t-test. Multivariate analysis was made with linear regression model.

Results: 229 patients were included in the analysis. 117/229(51.1%) were males, 60/229(26.2%) aged under six years. Total mean weight-percentile was significantly higher following the lockdown(40.44 vs. 38.82 respectively,p=0.029). Males had a significant post-lockdown weight-percentile rise(37.66 vs. 34.42,p=0.014), whilst females had higher baseline pre-quarantine weight-percentile of 43.42, that hadn’t changed. Patients younger than six had a significant increase in weight-percentiles(39.18 vs. 33.58,p=0.021). In multivariate analysis these correlations were preserved.

Conclusion: We found general weight gain among children, especially boys after the lockdown, with substantial effect under the age of six. This collateral side-effect should be taken into consideration in further quarantine regulations.