The COVID-19 pandemic is tied to an 'alarming' increase in obesity among U.S. children and teenagers, a new study finds.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lookedat more than than 400,000 adolescents.
They found that the share of children with obesity in the U.S. increased from 19 percent to 22 percent from August 2020 to August 2021 - a 15 percent increase.
The study highlights one of many long-term issues that could arise in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and something health officials will have to worry about going forward in a post-Covid world.
Children aged three to five years old who were already severely obese when the pandemic started (solid blue line) had their BMI increase severely during the pandemic
Almost all children aged six to 11, no matter their weight at the start of the pandemic, had their weight increase during the pandemic
For the study, the team looked at data on more than 432,302 Americans between ages two and 19.
Children, whether overweight or not, are also gaining more weight that usual.
Before the pandemic, children who were a healthy weight were gaining an average of 3.4 pounds per year. That rose to 5.4 pounds during the pandemic.
For kids who were moderately obese, expected weight gain rose from 6.5 pounds a year before the pandemic to 12 pounds after the pandemic began.
For severely obese kids, expected annual weight gain went from 8.8 pounds to 14.6 pounds, nearly double.
The rate of obesity increased most dramatically in kids ages 6 to 11, who are more dependent on their parents and
