Lifestyle Changes and Determinants of Children's and Adolescents' Body Weight Increase during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Greece: The COV-EAT Study.

Odysseas Androutsos,Maria Perperidi,Christos Georgiou,Giorgos Chouliaras

doi:10.3390/nu13030930

Odysseas Androutsos, Maria Perperidi + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030930

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Abstract

Previous studies showed that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown imposed changes in adults’ lifestyle behaviors; however, there is limited information regarding the effects on youth. The COV-EAT study aimed to report changes in children’s and adolescents’ lifestyle habits during the first COVID-19 lockdown and explore potential associations between changes of participants’ lifestyle behaviors and body weight. An online survey among 397 children/adolescents and their parents across 63 municipalities in Greece was conducted in April–May 2020. Parents self-reported changes of their children’s lifestyle habits and body weight, as well as sociodemographic data of their family. The present study shows that during the lockdown, children’s/adolescents’ sleep duration and screen time increased, while their physical activity decreased. Their consumption of fruits and fresh fruit juices, vegetables, dairy products, pasta, sweets, total snacks, and breakfast increased, while fast-food consumption decreased. Body weight increased in 35% of children/adolescents. A multiple regression analysis showed that the body weight increase was associated with increased consumption of breakfast, salty snacks, and total snacks and with decreased physical activity. The COV-EAT study revealed changes in children’s and adolescents’ lifestyle behaviors during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Greece. Effective strategies are needed to prevent excessive body weight gain in future COVID-19 lockdowns.

Highlights

Since December 2019, the world is facing a new disease (coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2)
Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in adults have shown that selfisolation at home due to the lockdown was associated with lower level of physical activity, longer sedentary time, modifications in eating behavior, and sleeping disturbances [1,2,3]
The findings of the present study suggest that the COVID-19 lockdown, with the concomitant closure of schools, negatively affected children’s lifestyle behaviors, which are some of the predominant risk factors for obesity [3]

Summary

Introduction

Since December 2019, the world is facing a new disease (coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2). March and a lockdown, imposed on 23 March as a “last-resort” preventive measure to halt the spreading of the disease until COVID-19 vaccines would be available. This unprecedented situation led to significant changes in children’s daily routine, who no longer attended school and out-of-school activities (e.g., participation in sports, free play at playgrounds, etc.), but were isolated at home with their families. There are studies which have examined the impact of school closing in the summer period, which is a condition similar to the COVID-19 lockdown, on children’s eating behavior and weight status [3,6,7,8,9].

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