Objective@#The
health behavior and
mental health problems of
adolescents have shown a variety of changes due to the
coronavirus disease -2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic . This study compared
health behavior ,
obesity , and
mental health among Korean
adolescents before and during the early COVID-19 pandemic. @*
Methods @#
Population -based and cross-sectional data from the 2019 and 2020
Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Surveys were used. Data of 57,048 and 54,948
adolescents from the 2019 and 2020 surveys, respectively, were compared. Multiple
logistic regression analysis was conducted to compare
health behavior ,
obesity , and
mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. @*Results@#The adjusted
odds ratio (aOR) of
overweight ,
obesity , and
body image perceived subjectively as fat, were higher in the 2020 sample compared to the 2019 sample. The aOR of the frequency (more than 3 times a week) of fast-
food consumption was higher in 2020 than in 2019. However, the aOR of
physical activity , alcohol use, and
smoking experience were lower in 2020 than in 2019. In addition, during COVID-19,
adolescents were less likely to have perceived severe stress, depressive
moods , and
suicidal ideation . @*Conclusion@#Current evidence suggests the co-occurrence of positive and negative changes in
health behavior ,
obesity , and
mental health among Korean
adolescents during the early COVID-19 pandemic. The results contribute insights for
monitoring adolescents ’
health behavior and promoting their
mental health during
school shutdowns.