Abstract
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic altered adults’ and children’s lifestyles and habits, causing an increase in body weight. Adolescents are sensitive to habit changes and, because of their insufficient capacity to deal with the unexpected COVID-19 changes, were at greater risk of noncommunicable disease development due to the consequences of adopting unhealthy habits. The survey aimed to reveal the changes in nutritional status and lifestyle habits of school children in Croatia and to assess their nutrition knowledge and emotional state and feelings about COVID-19 lockdown. Self-reported data from 1370 school children aged 10 to 15 years were obtained to examine the influence of the lockdown on their nutritional status, lifestyle and emotional status, and to assess their nutrition knowledge. The study revealed that the COVID-19 lockdown has caused an increase in the proportion of overweight and obesity among Croatian school children who changed their lifestyle habits towards being less physically active, spending more time using screen-based media and revealing potential psychological distress. However, the schoolchildren had a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet assessed with the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED) index and had good nutrition knowledge. Public health programs promoting a healthy lifestyle and involving the whole family, in a school environment, could provide children with a healthy adulthood.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1] has caused a worldwide pandemic recently, where control and prevention measures led to outdoor activity restrictions, social distancing and the closedown of public facilities, including public schools
In Croatia, public schools started with full online teaching at the beginning of March 2020 [2] which was eased after two months only for the youngest children, i.e., those from first to fourth grade of elementary schools who returned to school, while older children remained on full online teaching until the end of the school year in June
It could be hypothesized that the COVID-19 lockdown may have increased the prevalence of overweight and obesity, this study aimed to investigate the change in body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle habits of schoolchildren aged 10 to 15 years in Primorsko-Goranska County, Croatia, to assess their nutrition knowledge, as well as their emotional state and feelings about the COVID-19 lockdown
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1] has caused a worldwide pandemic recently, where control and prevention measures led to outdoor activity restrictions, social distancing and the closedown of public facilities, including public schools. In Croatia, public schools started with full online teaching at the beginning of March 2020 [2] which was eased after two months only for the youngest children, i.e., those from first to fourth grade of elementary schools who returned to school, while older children remained on full online teaching until the end of the school year in June. In September 2020, all elementary school children in Primorsko-Goranska County in Croatia started their school year by attending school, but those from the fifth grade and older stayed at home on full online teaching in October and remained that way, with short returns to school, until the beginning of May 2021, when they all returned to school and stayed until the end of the school year in. The period of staying at home because of the COVID-19 lockdown measures may have caused children’s usual lifestyle and school habits to change. Health-related lifestyle habits implemented in early life are mostly maintained in adulthood, and, since they are significant determinants of health status in adulthood [5], it is important to observe children’s habits, especially if there is a possibility of their change
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