Abstract
Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic imposed changes in children’s daily routine that could lead to changes in behavior patterns. Using a survey targeted at children under 17 years of age, we described dietary (adherence to Mediterranean diet, AMD) and sleeping habits (disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep) after the implementation of lockdown, and examined the probability of the inadequate frequency of physical activity (PA) and use of TV and electronic devices (TV-ED) before and after lockdown through generalized estimating equation models, accounting for age and gender differences. From 3464 children included, 53.2% showed optimal AMD; 79.2% referred to delayed bedtime; and 16.3% were suspected of sleeping disorders after the implementation of lockdown. Delay in bedtime was more frequent among children older than 6 years, and inadequate sleeping hours among those younger than 11 years. There were no gender differences in AMD or sleeping habits. The odds of inadequate frequency of PA and TV-ED use were greater after lockdown, with a greater risk for TV-ED use. Boys were at greater risk of inadequate PA frequency and TV-ED use. Odds ratio of inadequate PA was greater at older ages. Lockdown could influence changes in children’s habits that could lead to risk factors for non-communicable diseases during adulthood if such behaviors are sustained over time.
Highlights
The probability of inadequate physical activity (PA) frequency was greater for older ages, while the probability of the inadequate frequency of TV and electronic devices (TV-ED) use was greater among children from ages 6 to 10 for both genders
Results from this study show that mitigation measures during the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to the acquisition of behavioral patterns related to obesity and noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors such as sleep disturbance and sedentarism [17,28]
We found that almost 25% of children included in the sample appeared to show weight gain, this being more frequent among those children with suboptimal adherence to Mediterranean diet (Table S4)
Summary
Since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have implemented different strategies to slow down the spread of viral transmission [1]. In Spain, mitigation strategies led to a nationwide lockdown from 15 March to 21 June, 2020. Lockdown measures implied that all residents remained at home, leaving only for essential needs such as buying food and medicines, seeking medical care, or attending essential jobs [2]. Schools and universities were encouraged to continue through online classes [2]. Children younger than 14 were unable to leave their houses unless their caretaker needed to carry them during a permitted activity [2]
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