TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 Leads to Accelerated Increases in Children's BMI z-Score Gain
T2 - An Interrupted Time-Series Study
AU - Weaver, R. Glenn
AU - Hunt, Ethan T.
AU - Armstrong, Bridget
AU - Beets, Michael W.
AU - Brazendale, Keith
AU - Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle
AU - Pate, Russell R.
AU - Youngstedt, Shawn D.
AU - Dugger, Roddrick
AU - Parker, Hannah
AU - von Klinggraeff, Lauren
AU - Jones, Alexis
AU - Burkart, Sarah
AU - Ressor-Oyer, Layton
N1 - Funding Information:
Research reported in this publication was supported in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of NIH under Award Number R21HD095164 and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Award Numbers P20GM130420 and T32-GM081740.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Journal of Preventive Medicine
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted children's weight status owing to the closure of schools, increased food insecurity and reliance on ultraprocessed foods, and reduced opportunities for outdoor activity. Methods: In this interrupted time-series study, height and weight were collected from children (n=1,770 children, mean age=8.7 years, 55.3% male, 64.6% Black) and were transformed into BMI z-score in each August/September from 2017 to 2020. Mixed-effects linear regression estimated yearly BMI z-score change before the COVID-19 pandemic year (i.e., 2017–2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic year (i.e., 2019–2020). Subgroup analyses by sex, race (i.e., Black, White, other race), weight status (overweight or obese and normal weight), and grade (i.e., lower=kindergarten−2nd grade and upper=3rd−6th grade) were conducted. Results: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, children's yearly BMI z-score change was +0.03 (95% CI= −0.10, 0.15). Change during the COVID-19 pandemic was +0.34 (95% CI=0.21, 0.47), an acceleration in BMI z-score change of +0.31 (95% CI=0.19, 0.44). For girls and boys, BMI z-score change accelerated by +0.33 (95% CI=0.16, 0.50) and +0.29 (95% CI=0.12, 0.46), respectively, during the pandemic year. Acceleration in BMI z-score change during the pandemic year was observed for children who were Black (+0.41, 95% CI=0.21, 0.61) and White (+0.22, 95% CI=0.06, 0.39). For children classified as normal weight, BMI z-score change accelerated by +0.58 (95% CI=0.40, 0.76). Yearly BMI z-score change accelerated for lower elementary/primary (+0.23, 95% CI=0.08, 0.37) and upper elementary/primary (+0.42, 95% CI=0.42, 0.63) children. Conclusions: If similar BMI z-score accelerations occurred for children across the world, public health interventions to address this rapid unhealthy BMI gain will be urgently needed.
AB - Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted children's weight status owing to the closure of schools, increased food insecurity and reliance on ultraprocessed foods, and reduced opportunities for outdoor activity. Methods: In this interrupted time-series study, height and weight were collected from children (n=1,770 children, mean age=8.7 years, 55.3% male, 64.6% Black) and were transformed into BMI z-score in each August/September from 2017 to 2020. Mixed-effects linear regression estimated yearly BMI z-score change before the COVID-19 pandemic year (i.e., 2017–2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic year (i.e., 2019–2020). Subgroup analyses by sex, race (i.e., Black, White, other race), weight status (overweight or obese and normal weight), and grade (i.e., lower=kindergarten−2nd grade and upper=3rd−6th grade) were conducted. Results: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, children's yearly BMI z-score change was +0.03 (95% CI= −0.10, 0.15). Change during the COVID-19 pandemic was +0.34 (95% CI=0.21, 0.47), an acceleration in BMI z-score change of +0.31 (95% CI=0.19, 0.44). For girls and boys, BMI z-score change accelerated by +0.33 (95% CI=0.16, 0.50) and +0.29 (95% CI=0.12, 0.46), respectively, during the pandemic year. Acceleration in BMI z-score change during the pandemic year was observed for children who were Black (+0.41, 95% CI=0.21, 0.61) and White (+0.22, 95% CI=0.06, 0.39). For children classified as normal weight, BMI z-score change accelerated by +0.58 (95% CI=0.40, 0.76). Yearly BMI z-score change accelerated for lower elementary/primary (+0.23, 95% CI=0.08, 0.37) and upper elementary/primary (+0.42, 95% CI=0.42, 0.63) children. Conclusions: If similar BMI z-score accelerations occurred for children across the world, public health interventions to address this rapid unhealthy BMI gain will be urgently needed.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.04.007
DO - 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.04.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 34148734
AN - SCOPUS:85108562424
VL - 61
SP - e161-e169
JO - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
JF - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
SN - 0749-3797
IS - 4
ER -