הכינוס השנתי הדיגיטלי של החברה הישראלית לפדיאטריה קלינית - חיפ"ק 2021

Increased weight gain of children during the COVID-19 lockdown

מיכל וינקר שוסטר 1 Ephraim S. Grossman 2 Yonatan Yeshayahu 1,3,4
1Department of Pediatrics, Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, ישראל
2Department of Education, Ariel University, ישראל
3Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, ישראל
4Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, ישראל

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.