How did previously obese children and adolescents behave during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in relation to weight gain?

Rev Paul Pediatr. 2024 Nov 29:43:e2024058. doi: 10.1590/1984-0462/2025/43/2024058. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the implications of social contingency measures and interruption of outpatient follow-up on weight gain in children and adolescents with a previous diagnosis of obesity.

Methods: This is an observational study with data from electronic medical records of children and adolescents followed up at a specialized outpatient clinic from 2019 to 2023. Weight gain, height, BMI variation, BMI z-score, laboratory tests, and associated comorbidities were analyzed. The data were computed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), and the results were considered statistically significant when p<0.05.

Results: There was a weight gain of approximately 17.66% in the total set of participants, corresponding to a median increase of 14 kg. When analyzing between genders, we observed an approximate increase of 21.38% in body weight for men, while for women, it was 21.45%.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant weight gain among previously obese children and adolescents in follow-up at a specialized outpatient clinic.

Objetivo:: Analisar as implicações das medidas de contingenciamento social e interrupção do acompanhamento ambulatorial sobre o ganho de peso de crianças e adolescentes com diagnóstico prévio de obesidade.

Métodos:: Estudo observacional com dados proveniente de prontuários eletrônicos de crianças e adolescentes acompanhadas no Ambulatório de Obesidade na Criança e no Adolescente do Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, no período de 2019 a 2023. Analisaram-se ganho ponderal, altura, variação do índice de massa corporal (IMC), escore Z de IMC, exames laboratoriais e comorbidade associadas. Os dados foram computados e analisados pelo programa StatisticalPackage for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Os resultados foram considerados estatisticamente significativos quando p<0,05.

Resultados:: Constatou-se aumento ponderal de aproximadamente 17,6% no conjunto total de participantes, correspondendo ao acréscimo mediano de 14 kg. Ao analisarmos os gêneros, observamos elevação aproximada de 21,38% no peso corporal do sexo masculino, enquanto a do sexo feminino foi de 21,4%.

Conclusões:: A pandemia de COVID-19 levou a ganho peso significante entre crianças e adolescentes previamente obesos, que estavam em seguimento em ambulatório especializado.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Body Mass Index*
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pandemics
  • Pediatric Obesity* / epidemiology
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Weight Gain*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by Programas Institucionais de Bolsas de Iniciação Científica e Tecnológica (PIBIC), Brazil (01.P.109/2022|01.P.194/2023).