In:
PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 18, No. 9 ( 2023-9-5), p. e0290961-
Abstract:
Reports from many settings suggest that pediatric overweight and obesity increased in 2020 and 2021, presumably due to lifestyle changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these previous reports have relied on convenience samples or subsets of the population. Here, we present results of a longitudinal study of the entire population of Israel, a nation of approximately 9 million people, with the proportion with underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity at age 7 and at age 14–15, across the years 2017–2021. Our results show that the prevalence of overweight and obesity, which had been steady or improving through 2019, increased relatively quickly in 2020 and 2021. For example, among 7-year-olds, the percentage of children with obesity in 2019 was 6.8% (99% CI: 6.69–7.05), and by 2021, it had increased to 7.7% (99% CI: 7.53–7.93). There were important disparities in overweight and obesity based on SES; for example, the rate ratio for obesity comparing the poorest with the wealthiest 14–15-year-olds in 2019 was 1.63 (99% CI: 1.55–1.72). However, these disparities did not change meaningfully in 2020 and 2021, implying that while obesity did become more prevalent, this increase in prevalence was not differential across socioeconomic status. Like many other nations, Israel too experienced considerable increases in pediatric overweight and obesity in 2020–2021, erasing the improvements of the previous years among younger children.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1932-6203
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.t001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.t002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.t003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.t004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.t005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.t006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.r001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.r002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.r003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0290961.r004
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2267670-3
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