“It’s Never Been This Bad:” Stunning New Research Shows How Much Child Obesity Has Skyrocketed Since Pandemic Began

Unfortunately, children have been some of the most affected by the mandates, even though they are the least affected by the virus.

Ever since schools were shut down last spring, American children have been forced into isolation from their peers and placed into a poor learning environment that relies solely on virtual classes – Schools have only recently begun accepting students back for in-person schooling, which could be a little too late to reverse some concerning trends that have been a result of lockdown measures.

For the past 18 months, children have been forced to spend more time in front of screens by themselves than ever before. The separation from their classmates and lack of instruction through Zoom calls have caused a massive increase in mental health issues, such as depression, that will take years, if not longer, for these kids to work out.

Now, in addition to the mental, the physical effect of these lockdowns is also becoming clear.

According to a stunning new report that was published last week by the CDC, the body mass index for American children increased between March and November 2020 at almost 2 times the rate that it did before the China-virus pandemic began. 

The study looked at over 430,000 children and found that the increase was particularly prevalent among elementary-aged children. Kids who were already considered overweight also experienced one of the highest increases during the timeframe.

New CDC Study: "the portion of 5-11-year-olds who are classified as overweight or obese is now 45.7 percent, up from 36.2 percent before the pandemic."

— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) September 20, 2021

Children in every single subgroup – except for those who were considered ‘underweight’ – gained weight quicker than they did pre-pandemic. Overall, children between 6 and 11 that are classified as obese jumped from 36.2 to 45.7% – ages 12-15 saw a 5.2% increase and 16-17 went up by 3.1%.

Michelle Demeule-Hayes – the director of a clinical weight loss program at Baltimore’s Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital – said that the youth obesity crisis has “never been this bad,” which according to her, proves that “the research is definitely accurate.”

Demeule-Hayes has even had an uptick in patients – all children younger than 17 – being referred to her that weigh around 400 pounds. She has also seen more and more who are being diagnosed with conditions that are typically seen in adults, such as osteoarthritis, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

“Having them be on a computer literally all day, not having any of the recess or the steps outside or even just walking up and down the halls — they’ve been so, so sedentary,” Demeule-Hayes explained.

“Pre-pandemic, even if they were getting driven to school, they were still at least walking around the school and walking up one or two flights of stairs to classrooms.”

This is yet another crisis that is spinning wildly out of control under Biden.

The ‘staggering’ new numbers are even more concerning when you consider the fact that overweight people are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to recovering from Covid-19 – Contrary to nowadays popular belief, being obese is not ‘healthy.’

The latest study that was published by the CDC isn’t the first to provide evidence of this growing problem. Last month, a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) also showed a similar trend among children in California that were between the ages of 5 and 17, and another analysis that appeared in the Lancet found that the weight gain was more pronounced in certain demographics of children, such as African-Americans or Hispanics, and low-income households.

The effects are very likely going to be long-lasting, if not permanent, studies have shown that overweight children are overwhelmingly likely to be obese as adults.

According to Demeule-Hayes, Concerned parents can do a lot to help reverse the trends by working healthy habits into their child’s routine. Small changes, whether it’s a quick family walk after dinner or healthier snack choices, can make a big difference. She recommends that parents encourage exercise and drinking lots of water while also limiting unnecessary screen time. 

One thing is for sure, it will be up to the parents to make a difference.