ABSTRACT
Background Since 2020, longer stay-at-home time in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the weight-related behaviors of Chinese population. Objectives To explore the demographic and basic characteristics of body fat scale users and to investigate the changes in obesity-related body composition of overweight and obese users during COVID-19. Further, we analyzed the factors associated with successful weight loss and improved body composition changes in overweight and obese people. Methods The study included 107,419 Chinese adults registered in the smart app connecting to the body fat scale in 2020 to describe the demographic characteristics of body fat scale users by Unpaired Student’s t-test and Chi-Square test. Subsequently, overweight and obese participants with body mass index (BMI) of more than 24 kg/m2 were screened to investigate the independent factors associated with effective weight loss and improved body composition changes by multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results During the pandemic, the number of body fat scale users increased markedly compared with pre-pandemic. Over half of the participants were women and with normal baseline BMI. Based on BMI classification, multivariable logistic regressions showed that age, gender, measurement frequency classification, baseline BMI, visceral adipose index and skeletal muscle rate were associated with weight loss and fat loss in the overweight and obese population, with the high-frequency measurement being the most important factor for effective weight and fat loss. In the population with normal BMI obesity, younger age was the most significant factor for effective fat loss. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, participation in self-monitored weight loss increased markedly compared with pre-pandemic, and women accounted for the majority. We found that many overweight and obese participants achieved weight loss goals by smart body fat scales, and the effectiveness of weight and fat loss was greater in obese participants than in overweight participants, both based on BMI and PBF classification. In addition, promoting the usage of smart body fat scales could contribute to more effective weight and fat loss in the overweight and obese population based on BMI classification. However, in the population with normal BMI obesity, young subjects might be easier to successfully lose fat compared with the elder. Digital self-management by smart body fat scales could become a promising approach for the obese population with high BMI to lose weight and keep healthy.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The infection rate of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children was less than that in adults. However, the underlining reason is not well known. METHODS: Children with COVID-19 were recruited from two Children's Hospitals in Wuhan and Shanghai in this case-control study. The associations of initial symptoms with age, vaccinations of Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), and influenza and pathogens were determined by Chi-square t-test. RESULTS: We evaluated 248 confirmed cases, and 56 suspected cases with COVID-19. The median age was 6.82 years old, and 118 cases (38.82%) were girls. Furthermore, 30.26% of all patients were asymptomatic cases. The percentage of asymptomatic cases vaccinated with BCG was not significantly higher than that without BCG vaccination [86/280 (30.71%) vs. 6/13 (46.15%), P=0.203], and initial symptoms were not related with immunized influenza vaccine (P=0.267). Compared to parameters in pediatric patients with normal body temperatures, patients with fever had higher C reactive protein (CRP) (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric COVID-19 patients with BCG vaccinations exhibit similar clinical manifestations compared to those without BCG vaccinations, and the severity of symptoms in pediatric patients may be related to the maturity of immune function.