According to a study conducted in Val-de-Marne and published by Public Health France this Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the proportion of obese children has almost doubled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19. It went from 2.8% to 4.6%.
To find these numbers, researchers at Maternal and Child Protection looked at data from nearly 50,000 children in kindergarten in the department of Val-de-Marne. And the conclusion is clear: “the increase in overweight or obese children increases significantly between the 2018-2019 reference year and the 2020-2021 school year”, explain the researchers. And if they only focused on this department, the figures give an idea of the situation on a national scale.
“It would be interesting to know if it is rather the diet that has deteriorated – increased snacking, consumption of ultra-processed products – or the drastic reduction in activities.suggest the authors of the study, hypothesizing that, most likely, the measures taken to fight once morest Covid 19 – i.e. confinement and then the systematic closing of schools – have favored this weight gain in the youngest.
Among the most affected are girls. “The risk factors identified are female sex and school membership of a priority or reinforced priority education network. Attendance at a daycare center or the school canteen are protective factors once morest overweight and obesity.details the study, without knowing the exact reason for this gender-related propensity.
“Special vigilance should be taken in socially disadvantaged areas and among girls”challenge the results.
Antoine F-M