Reducing risk of childhood obesity in the wake of covid-19

The swift and necessary public health response to the covid-19 pandemic has had detrimental consequences for the prevention and management of childhood obesity, a concern critically in need of public health action. Although children are not as severely affected by covid-19 as adults—experiencing fewer or no symptoms—the public health response to mitigate its spread has exacerbated several risk factors for childhood obesity. Extended lock-downs and social distancing measures have increased children’s exposure to obesogenic environments and disrupted their participation in health promoting behaviours.