UF medical students: Government policies can improve childhood obesity rates that increased during COVID-19
Letter to the editor
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures it caused included social distancing, abrupt closure of schools, disrupted daily routines, and elimination of physical activities for children. These drastic but necessary measures severely exacerbated an already crucial public health issue – childhood obesity. From August 2019 to August 2020, pediatric obesity rates in the United States rose from 19.3% to 22.4%.1 In addition there has been a higher prevalence of several associated co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension that not only worsen their quality of life but contribute to the ever-growing healthcare costs in our country. This change was even worse for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those uninsured or under-insured, further contributing to the inequities in healthcare delivery.
Research on this subject indicates that during the pandemic, children and adolescents experienced lifestyle changes including poor dietary habits, reduction in physical activity, poor sleep habits and psychological stress; that contributed to a nationwide increase in weight gain.2 The implications of this are not just at the individual level but also at the societal level, as these children will now further increase the prevalence of major co-morbidities that will significantly increase healthcare costs. Without intervention, healthcare quality, access, and availability will only decline further in our country. Again, this will be further felt by underprivileged communities driving a wider gap in health disparities.
In response, we propose a multi-faceted approach to combat childhood obesity and counter the effects of the pandemic.
One example of high priority is the implementation of mandatory in-person physical education in schools. This allows every child to participate in physical activity, regardless of home environment or socioeconomic status. This can be accomplished through increased funding for playground equipment, running tracks, and development of sport fields.
Schools will also play an important role in reducing childhood obesity through education in nutrition and exercise. Additionally, measures should be taken to equip parents with the tools to foster a healthy environment at home. This will be achieved through school-based and community-based programs to allow parents to be more informed on how they can promote the health and well-being of their families. A prime place to start implementing community-based education and programs could be at the Equal Access Clinics around town, where many of our patients state having difficulty providing healthy meals for themselves and/or family as well as fitting exercise into their schedules. Setting aside time during these encounters to discuss with patients ways to improve healthy eating and fitness habits, as well as having access to external resources that we could refer patients to – such as pamphlets or other educational material – should provide a way for parents to help and encourage their children to take initiative in their physical and mental health.
Policy changes that take these factors into consideration will change the health of our children and, by extension, the future of our society. These changes will allow for improved health outcomes among our youth and potentially translate into reducing health disparities among historically marginalized groups. Lessons from the pandemic such as addressing childhood obesity will allow us to move forward with a better and more inclusive healthcare system that allows our society to live better lives.
Nicholas Trent, Marcus Hunter, Grace Kelly, Amin Mirzaie, Angela Shar, Chhaya Patel, Kelly Gahagan, and Bryan Carabello
Gainesville, FL
References:
1) Wang ML, Gago CM. Shifts in Child Health Behaviors and Obesity After COVID-19. JAMA Pediatr. Published online March 04, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0027
2) LaFauci G, Montalti M, DiValerio Z, Gori D, Salomoni MG, Salussolia A, Soldà G, Guaraldi F. Obesity and COVID-19 in Children and Adolescents: Reciprocal Detrimental Influence-Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 21;19(13):7603. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19137603. PMID: 35805260; PMCID: PMC9266144.
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Assertions of facts in letters are similarly the responsibility of the author. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
So we can add obesity to the long list of problems directly caused by the misguided school lockdowns.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/upshot/pandemic-school-closures-data.html
The people that promoted those lockdowns need to come to terms with the damage they caused.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures it caused included social distancing, abrupt closure of schools, disrupted daily routines, and elimination of physical activities for children. These drastic but necessary measures…”
Did they accidently mis-spell unnecessary?
I for one would like to nominate this group to go into the disadvantaged, marginalized and underprivileged communities to not only assist the parents but motivate them to get their children to school so they can participate in these recommendations.
Let us know how that works out for you. Maybe your professor will give you extra credit for that as well.
“Government policies can improve childhood obesity rates.”
Can they? The long-term success rate of government obesity programs is around 0%. Weight loss is a goal that requires commitment and buy-in of the participants.
The old Food Pyramid was a government initiative that spread misinformation encouraging eating enormous amounts of carbohydrates leading to diabetes and weight gain.
And let’s not forget the sugar industry paying scientists to say that fats were bad.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat
And there’s currently a terrible epidemic of bogus research papers getting peer reviewed (lol) and published (another scam)
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/03/the-situation-has-become-appalling-fake-scientific-papers-push-research-credibility-to-crisis-point
Fantastic job, students! This article is not only well-written but also insightful. Keep up the great work and continue sharing your knowledge and perspectives with the world.
Nicely written sounds great. But, face it people don’t want to cook.
Even for breakfast it’s McDonald’s. Some people would starve if it weren’t for McDonald’s.
How about if these U.F. medical students, went to Walmart and escorted “Plump People” as they did they’re grocery shopping. That is a direct approach. No sodas, no sugary cereal’s, no sweets (only celery sticks). How well do you think that will go? If people really want to change, it well happen because they want to or get sick (diabetes). Education is now on the internet. If you really want to cook a healthy meal Google it.
Make EBT only for meat, milk, eggs and bread.
Adult Home Ec should be required before getting food stamps.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures it caused included social distancing, abrupt closure of schools, disrupted daily routines, and elimination of physical activities for children. These drastic but necessary measures severely exacerbated an already crucial public health issue – childhood obesity.”
The lockdown measures were drastic, but not necessary. With terrible outcomes for health, and also for our freedoms.
I would be opposed to mandatory in-person physical education in schools if kids are required to change clothes to participate.
Locker rooms are no longer safe spaces for females with the current revisions to Title IX that the Biden administration has foisted on the country.
Big Government is causing more and more problems all the time. Looking to government for solutions is likely to disappoint.
You make great points.
C1984…the big lie that ruined our dollar, our economy, and lives.
Say no
to the WHO and their medical tyranny to foist vaccine passports on us to further the goal of global totalitarianism.
An hour a day outside of physical education with exercise is a good idea.
Some people who drank the Covid kool aid are still wearing face masks.
Those Medical students failed to mention all the psychological problems face masks, social distancing, and closing of schools did to the kids
Besides obesity.
What about parents influencing childhood obesity? Do we need a social worker living in every home now?
These “students “ start with the lie that lockdowns for children were “drastic but necessary”. We knew almost immediately that epedemiology data showed it to be unnecessary, and to continue to espouse this idea negates anything else these “students” had to say. Health inequity related to obesity has been a trendy health topic in the medical field for a number of years. Childhood obesity is already a crisis linked to poor diets and lack of physical activity. But to expect government intervention for a problem it caused is misguided and foolish.
Allow me to pile on. I don’t think the blame for this poor philosophy lies with the students. They’re just being used by the communists who’ve gotten control of all of our educational institutions.
Add this proposed government “solution” to the long list of government-caused problems, which were later mis-diagnosed and then exacerbated by a government solution.
This is actually a social problem. The government has enabled generations of poor parenting enabled by gov’t-supported, poor lifestyle choices, bad habits, addictions, and dysfunctional “families”. And this government is perpetuated by keeping their voters ignorant, uninformed, and dependent.
It’s incredibly sad. Nonetheless, it’s perpetuated by the lie that Christians shouldn’t get involved in politics. I am a born-again Christian who refuses to bow to that lie.
The government doing everything and getting involved in everything is a very third world thought process. This is precisely what they do in Central and South America and we can see them all trying to escape to the US (and trying to turn it into where they came from)
How bout trying some personal responsibility instead of government policies (control)?