Confined to their houses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, young children are facing a greater threat of obesity due to enhanced intake of junk meals, lack of socialisation and physical activities, healthcare specialists have warned. COVID-19 is anticipated to possibly worsen the trouble of obesity in middle and higher socio financial groups, they stated.
The financial, meals, and well being systems disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare specialists stated, are anticipated to continue to exacerbate all types of malnutrition. The most up-to-date National Family Health Survey, which was performed in 22 states in pre-pandemic instances, presented a dire image of nutrition of young children in the nation.
While on the one hand, it showed a rise in malnutrition in numerous states, the government survey also presented an raise of obesity amongst young children in 20 of the 22 surveyed states. A senior official stated tackling obesity is going to be a key location of concentrate for the government beneath the newly launched Mission Poshan.
However, healthcare specialists have stated that the probable implications of COVID 19 in worsening the predicament of overweight and obesity can’t be ignored. “COVID 19 is expected to possibly worsen the situation of overweight in middle and high socio economic groups since the tendency for home confined young and school aged children and adolescents to indulge in frequent munching or consumption of high calorie and empty nutrient value snacks such as ‘namkeen’, biscuits, bread, buns, noodles, ice creams, cookies and cakes, fried snacks, sweetened beverages would increase.
“These items are rich in carbohydrate, sugar and fat and are sought routinely and consumed to get relief from boredom,” stated Dr. Sheila Vir, Director, Public Health Nutrition and Development Centre, Delhi. She stated parents also encourage feeding such things to meet the tension of continual demand for meals fed to younger young children. “Moreover, these children unable to play outdoors spend many more hours sitting in front of the computer or television,” she stated.
Dr. Sujeet Ranjan, Executive Director, The Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security stated young children in India presently endure from a double jeopardy of malnutrition young children are afflicted with more than-nutrition as nicely as endure from effects of beneath-nutrition.
“During the lockdown and restricted movement, children had constrained access to socialisation, play, and even physical contact, critical for their psychosocial wellbeing and development. School closures were preventing children from access to learning and limiting their interactions with peers,” he stated.
Schools across the nation have been closed in March to include the spread of COVID-19. They have been partially reopened in some states from October 15. “Children felt confused and at loss with the current situation, leading to frustration and anxiety, which only increased with the overexposure to mass and social media,” he added.
Warning of ill-effects of obesity, he stated childhood obesity is linked with a greater likelihood of premature death and disability in adulthood. “Lack of dietary diversity is one of the reasons for rising obesity, overweight children and high undernutrition. The change is diets and consumption of high carbohydrate and high sugar foods have an impact on health of the children,” he stated.
Regular and excessive consumption of foods higher in salt, sugar and fat leads to obesity and is a threat aspect several ailments. Sports for improvement (S4D) for physical fitness, balanced eating plan, minimizing Television viewing are the 4 pillars by way of which obesity can be lowered amongst young children,” Ranjan stated.
Dr. Somasekar Ramaswamy, Professor of paediatrics at the Madras Medical College, stated not just young children but obesity will also effect adults. “When it comes to children, one of the major cause could be online classes, while on the other hand it could be, work from home for adults. In both the cases, they have to sit for hours with excessive consumption of junk food and almost no physical activity resulting in an imbalance between intake and expenditure of calories, leading to accumulation of more weight, weeks-after-weeks,” he stated.
For prevention of overweight in young young children 6-23 months, Vir stated care givers need to assure that smart choice of meals things and appropriate feeding practices are followed. “Overfeeding a child, if undernourished earlier, should be strictly avoided. TV time should be restricted and play time encouraged. Regular weight monitoring, as far as feasible, should be encouraged. In fact, the entire family should ‘Eat Right’ since overweight problem in mothers is also associated with overweight and obesity in their offspring. Also get into the habit of checking the nutrient content which is printed on the food packets, as per the government/FSSAI policy,” she stated.
Interventions at the college and neighborhood level that market awareness and education about wholesome consuming habits, way of life patterns and standard physical exercise are crucial to avoid obesity in young children. Stringent advertisement suggestions and media intervention that avoid false propaganda of unhealthy foods by celebrities that young children adore is one more step in this regard, Vir stated.
“Thus, interventions at a biopsychosocial level using a multi-disciplinary team approach forms the cornerstone in the effective management of childhood obesity,” Vir added