Body mass index changes among children and adolescents in Suzhou before and after COVID 19 outbreak / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore body mass index (BMI) changes among children and adolescents in Suzhou before and after COVID-19 outbreak, and to provide a reference for improving physical health of children and adolescents.@*Methods@#A total of 569 children and adolescents who had complete BMI information in 2019 were enrolled through stratified cluster sampling from June to July, 2020. Questionnaire survey was conducted, and height and weight were measured to calculate BMI and BMI Z scores.@*Results@#After the epidemic, overweight/obesity rate were 32.0%, compared to 31.6% before the epidemic(χ 2=0.07, P>0.05). Difference of BMI Z scores before (0.37±1.28) and after (0.38±1.27) the epidemic did not show statistically significant (t=-0.28, P>0.05), No significant changes in BMI Z score were found before and affer COVID-19 outbreak similar results were observed (P>0.05), BMI Z scores after the epidemic (0.45±1.32) was higher than it before the epidemic (0.37±1.35) among primary school group (t=2.57, P=0.01), while BMI Z scores after the epidemic (0.27±1.17) was lower than it before the epidemic (0.39±1.18) among middle school group (t=-4.29, P<0.01). Proportion of sweet food consumption and outdoor activities was statistically different before and after the epidemic(P>0.05), proportion of sugar-sweetened beverages consumption and fried food intake were statistically different before and after the epidemic (P<0.05), sleep time after the epidemic (8.52±1.83)h was higher than it before the epidemic (8.05±1.70)h (t=4.96, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Before and after COVID-19 outbreak, BMI and overweight/obesity rates are significantly different among children and adolescents in Suzhou, and there is a slight difference in different studying phases.