The Pandemic of Paunchy Proportions: How Lockdowns Led to a Surge in Childhood Obesity
Ah, the COVID-19 pandemic: a time of great uncertainty, confusion, and – as it turns out – significant weight gain among the youth of Spain. A study published in the journal ‘Nutrients’ has revealed that child over-incarceration (no, not that kind of incarceration, we’ll get to that in a minute) increased by a whopping 6.76 percentage points between October 2019 and June 2021. That’s a lot of extra padding, if you will.
Now, before we dive into the nitty-gritty of this research, let’s address the elephant in the room: the term "child over-incarceration." It’s not exactly what you think, is it? I mean, we’re not talking about tiny, adorable prisoners here (although, if we’re being honest, that’s a comedy goldmine waiting to happen). No, no. We’re talking about excess body fat, folks. The kind that’s a far cry from the chiseled physiques of the Spanish national football team.
According to the study, a staggering 39.7% of Spanish girls and 41.3% of Spanish boys between the ages of 6 and 9 were already rocking a bit of extra timber before the pandemic hit. And by "a bit of extra timber," I mean they were only a stone’s throw away from needing their own gravitational pull. But hey, at least they were consistent, right? I mean, 85% of them were way off the Mediterranean diet mark, and 63.3% weren’t getting enough physical activity to keep their parents’ exercise routine looking impressive.
Now, enter our hero, Dr. Fernando Zárate Osuna, who coordinated the research and launched the Cardiovascular Health School Program (PESCA) in 2018. This program aimed to get kids moving, eating right, and generally being less… well, less like the rest of us. And it worked! Well, sort of. The program did have a positive impact on physical activity levels, and participants even showed a slight decrease in body fat percentage. That is, until the pandemic hit, and everyone was stuck at home, mainlining screens and snacks like they were going out of style.
It’s almost as if the researchers are saying, "Hey, we had a good thing going, and then COVID-19 came along and ruined the party." And by "ruined the party," I mean it turned the party into a 24-hour Netflix binge-fest with a never-ending supply of Cheetos.
But what’s really interesting (or depressing, depending on how you look at it) is that the study found a significant increase in screen time and a corresponding decrease in physical activity among participants during the pandemic. It’s almost as if kids were trying to break some sort of record for most hours spent in front of a screen while simultaneously setting a new benchmark for least amount of exercise done in a 12-month period.
In all seriousness, though, this study highlights the very real consequences of lockdowns and pandemic-related restrictions on children’s health. As the researchers so eloquently put it, "The isolation policy promoted by the health authorities in Spain and the confinement measures due to Covid-19 could have impacted the health of children and adolescents in two different ways." Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Another way to put it is that lockdowns turned kids into tiny, sedentary blobs with a penchant for video games and junk food.
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? Well, for starters, maybe we should rethink our approach to pandemic management and find ways to keep kids active and engaged, even when they’re stuck at home. And maybe, just maybe, we should consider installing treadmills in every household, right next to the snack cabinet. Just a thought.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on the waistlines of Spanish children, and it’s up to us to find ways to mitigate the damage. So, let’s all take a deep breath, put down the Cheetos, and remember that exercise is not just a four-letter word – it’s a lifesaver. And if all else fails, we can always resort to Jimmy Carr’s patented " Diet and Exercise Plan":
"Exercise? I get all the exercise I need walking to the fridge and back."
MADRID 26 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
A study conducted by the ImFINE Research Group of the Polytechnic University of Madrid has revealed a disturbing trend: the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in child over-incarceration, skyrocketing from 19.81 percent to 26.57 percent between October 14, 2019 and June 3, 2021. This surge is particularly alarming, as it indicates a worsening of the already precarious state of children’s health in Spain. The researchers warn that this trend is not only concerning but also a ticking time bomb for the country’s future healthcare landscape.
Dr. Fernando Zárate Osuna, the study’s coordinator and a pediatrician at Quirónsalud Sur and Quirónsalud Toledo Hospitals, emphasizes that the situation was already worrying before the pandemic. In 2018, 39.7 percent of Spanish girls and 41.3 percent of Spanish boys between the ages of 6 and 9 years old had excess weight, a staggering 85 percent were far from the optimal Mediterranean diet, and a concerning 63.3 percent of the population between 8 and 16 years old did not comply with the World Health Organization’s recommendations on physical activity. This prompted Dr. Zárate to launch the Cardiovascular Health School Program (PESCA), which has been analyzed in the study published in the journal ‘Nutrients’.
The researchers have made a striking discovery: participation in the PESCA program had a positive impact on the prevalence of sports or physical activity, and even had a certain protective effect against the increase in overweight and other related health variables during the pandemic. However, the restrictions imposed by the authorities had a devastating effect, reversing these improvements and ultimately leading to a decrease in physical activity among program participants after the arrival of confinement.
The study raises important questions about the impact of the isolation policy and confinement measures on the health of children and adolescents. The researchers point out that obesity has been shown to worsen the medical prognosis of infection by SARS-CoV-2 in both child and adult patients, highlighting the need for a more nuanced approach to public health policy. The study’s findings are a wake-up call for policymakers and healthcare professionals, underscoring the importance of prioritizing children’s health and well-being during times of crisis.
The researchers also found that the participants’ body composition improved during the first year of the program, only to deteriorate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, rest time decreased significantly after the arrival of the pandemic, having remained stable initially, while the hours of exposure in front of screens suffered a significant increase during this period. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the impact of screen time on children’s physical and mental health.
