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Study: Childhood obesity in U.S. accelerated during pandemic:
A new study ties the COVID-19 pandemic to an "alarming" increase in obesity in U.S. children and teenagers.
Childhood obesity has been increasing for decades, but the new work suggests an acceleration last year — especially in those who already were obese when the pandemic started.
The results signal a "profound increase in weight gain for kids" and are "substantial and alarming," said one of the study's authors, Dr. Alyson Goodman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It's also a sign of a vicious cycle. The pandemic appears to be worsening the nation's longstanding obesity epidemic, and obesity can put people at risk for more severe illness after coronavirus infection.
The CDC on Thursday released the study, which is the largest yet to look at obesity trends during the pandemic.
It found:
- An estimated 22% of children and teens were obese last August, up from 19% a year earlier.
- Before the pandemic, children who were a healthy weight were gaining an average of 3.4 pounds a year. That rose to 5.4 pounds during the pandemic.
- For kids who were moderately obese, expected weight gain rose from 6.5 pounds a year before the pandemic to 12 pounds after the pandemic began.
- For severely obese kids, expected annual weight gain went from 8.8 pounds to 14.6 pounds.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Gaaark on Friday September 17 2021, @11:42PM (9 children)
When I was a kid, we ripped and tore through the neighbourhood, not stopping until we dropped: running, playing football, riding bikes, etc. We got one Pop Shoppe pop every other day maximum and ate pretty good food.
Now kids sit and eat too much junk and the adults play Playstation with them, and Fat Bless Us, Everyone! You just don't see kids outside like when we were young: take away the Playstation etc, and make them go outside.
Or something.
But stay off muh lawn!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 17 2021, @11:50PM (4 children)
Stop fat shaming! Be body positive!
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 18 2021, @02:10AM (1 child)
The problem is that the bodies became more and more positive.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 18 2021, @03:21PM
--
You have the right to remain dead.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 18 2021, @09:09AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 18 2021, @10:45AM
If you are serious, -1 Troll.
If you are being sarcastic, +1 Funny.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by krishnoid on Saturday September 18 2021, @12:08AM (1 child)
We also walked to and from the bus stop, between classes, had physical education classes, ran in the hallways and up and down flights of stairs, etc. So now the COVID-19 pandemic statistics may be making the currently titanic obesity epidemic even more endemic.
What if Google brought back Google glasses but Zoom-enabled them, so you could take a walk during class or meetings? That could even reverse things.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 18 2021, @02:15AM
Power the PC using a dynamo on an treadmill, exercise bike, or erg, or something, depemding on what you want the load to be. I reckon if most kids passed out from exhaustion after 8 minutes of remote schooling they'd be reasonably happy, so perhaps the erg is perfect.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 18 2021, @05:23PM
wait, what? so that the pedos can get them or the Q-anons can drink their blood? At least now we have vigilance to prevent this type of crap
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/maryland-couple-want-free-range-kids-but-not-all-do/2015/01/14/d406c0be-9c0f-11e4-bcfb-059ec7a93ddc_story.html [washingtonpost.com]
When I was 6, I walked to school a mile away, alone, but this was long ago in a communist country. We don't do these stupid things in the civilized America anymore. When I was 15, I was asked by a concerned mother whether I would walk their child to the corner to wait for a bus, because you know, it's difficult for a 12 year old to walk 100m without getting kidnapped or run over by a car. Today, only allow kids to play outside when under the eye of a parent, preferably multiple just to be certain that one is not a pedo or worse.
The playstation is the only safe option. Really. The obesity is just the price the kids have to pay for the safety (for the bypass OP at 40, if they even qualify)
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 20 2021, @02:53PM
In some places you can't send your kid out to play in your own yard and just check on them every now and again. Your "friendly neighbors" will be calling Child Protective Services on you, because the child is in danger. Times have changed and not necessarily for the better.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"