Rise in the trend of Obesity Among Children in the Post Covid 19 pandemic Lockdown period in Dharwad City

Completed

Conditions: Healthy primary school going children

Registration Number: CTRI/2022/07/044364

Lead Sponsor: Nidhi Satish Mehta

Brief Summary: | |

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|OBESITY is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Paediatric or childhood obesity is a growing global epidemic that requires attention due to the burden placed on the health care system for children and adults.

Childhood obesity has turned out as a major public health issue of the 21st century with an alarming rise in its prevalence in several developing countries. Paediatric or childhood obesity is the most prevalent nutritional disorder among children and adolescents worldwide. In past 30 years, paediatric obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents worldwide. Individuals with an 85-95% BMI are classified as overweight and those with 95% BMI are classified as obese.

Childhood obesity is now an epidemic in India. With 14.4 million obese children, India has the second-highest number of obese children in the world, next to China. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children is 15%. In private schools catering to upper-income families, the incidence has shot up to 35-40%, indicating a worrying upward trend.

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start children on the path to health problems that were once considered as adult problems. Paediatric obesity affects all the organs in the body and has an increasing prevalence in young diabetic children. Childhood obesity is connected with increased risk of various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular, stroke, certain types of cancer later in life, social problem and depression among youth.

Obesity occurs when the body consumes more calories than it burns, through overeating and under exercising. Childhood obesity is caused by excessive food consumption and drinking of high-calorie sweetened beverages, fatty foods, no exercise or physical activity, as well as genetic factors.

The fundamental cause of childhood obesity is an imbalance between calories consumed and energy spent. Indians are genetically predisposed to obesity. However, the rapid increase in childhood obesity is largely due to environmental influences. Economic prosperity leads to a change in diet from traditional to â€˜modernâ€™ foods, rich in fat and sugar. Urbanization leads to an increase in sedentary lifestyles and a decline in physical activity.

During the Covid 19 pandemic the central, state and local governments in India, put in place numerous restrictions on human movement and physical interactions in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Starting mid-March 2020, primary and secondary schools were closed. Children no longer had access to school based physical activities such as physical education, recess, and walking to/from school. It has been argued COVID-19 school closures may lead to increased rates of obesity in childrenin part because schools provide opportunities and facilities for physical activity through physical education and recess. Further the social-distancing measures which were necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, limited the childrenâ€™s ability to engage in sufficient levels of physical activity (PA) to maintain health and prevent disease.

Children were typically engaged in lower levels of physical activities and had more sedentary time on weekend days as compared to school days.It is also known that Children tend to gain more weight over the summer, especially those who are not enrolled in structured summer camps and any physical activities. Insufficient Physical Activities and excessive sedentary behaviour (SB) among children represents a significant problem because health behaviour patterns in childhood are likely to persist into adulthood and can lead to increased risk for a number of serious health conditions (e.g., over weight/obesity, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome) in later childhood and adulthood.

During COVID 19 lockdown children may not have had sufficient opportunities to take part in any physical activities and going out. This along with improper diet may lead to obesity/overweight in children. Hence this study would like to identify the shift in the prevalence of obesity as an effect of COVID LOCKDOWN among children.

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Completed

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 300

Inclusion Criteria

1.Typically developing primary school going children.
2.Children of either gender.
3.Parents of children who consent for their childâ€™s participation in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

1.Children who were diagnosed COVID-19 positive during the lockdown.
2.Children who donâ€™t give assent for participation.
3.Children with history of developmental delay or diagnosed with other medical condition.

Study & Design

Study Type: Observational

Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Self Generated Questionnaire For Childs Physical Activity Levels and BMI.	One Time Assessment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method

Trial Locations

Locations (1): SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital
🇮🇳
Dharwad, KARNATAKA, India
SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital
🇮🇳Dharwad, KARNATAKA, India
Nidhi Satish Mehta
Principal investigator
9742863190
nidhi16mehta@gmail.com