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.

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