Obesity reduces in children following pandemic

New research finds the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 3- and 4-year-olds in Sweden has reduced following the pandemic, suggesting the rise was temporary.

The research undertaken by the University of Gothenburg and Uppsala University and published in the journal JAMA Paediatrics, is based on data of 50,833 children aged 3 to 5 years.

Previous research had highlighted increased obesity during the pandemic among 3- and 4-year-olds in Sweden. However, the latest findings show that today's 3- and 4-year-olds are at about the same levels as 3- and 4-year-olds before the pandemic. The group of 5-year-olds has not had similar weight changes.

Changes in dietary habits and reduced physical activity due to social restrictions and closed preschools have been cited globally as the reasons for weight gain in young children during the pandemic.

Study lead Anton Holmgren, Paediatrician at Halland Hospital said: “The fact that the proportion of overweight and obese 3- and 4-year-olds has decreased indicates that the weight gains were related to the pandemic, and that an unhealthy weight status can be reversed. This also applies at the individual level, a significant proportion of the children where we had repeated measurements dropped to a lower BMI class after the pandemic.”