Pediatricians warn that prolonged disruption of the coronavirus pandemic in school, sports, and other activities in person leads to weight gain that could have lasting impacts on children’s health.
Students snack more and exercise less, and nutritionists and doctors studying obesity worry that the pandemic will put children at risk for type 2 diabetes and asthma, among other health problems.
“We’re seeing a lot of primary school children earning 20 to 30 pounds in a year,” said Hai Cao, a pediatrician and owner of South Slope Pediatrics in Brooklyn, New York.
Brittany Wilson, a medical assistant at Island Kids Pediatrics in Staten Island, New York, said the pandemic appears to have accelerated weight gain among already overweight patients. It seems that children aged 6 to 12 earn more.
“Even elementary school kids get depressed,” Ms. Wilson said. “They miss their friends. Many of them are not so good academically. With depression also comes weight gain. They are boring and I think they eat comfortably ”.