ArticleEuropean journal of public health2023
Increased incidence of overweight and obesity among preschool Swedish children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in European journal of public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Handgrip strength thresholds associated with metabolic syndrome risk in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Epidemiology and health · 2024Pooled it
- Changes in obesity and waist circumference in children and parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.Scientific reports · 2026Observational
- Behavioural and Emotional Symptoms Did not Increase During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Swedish Preschool Children.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Article
- Increased Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes and Co-Existing Thyroid Autoimmunity During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Observational
- Do Changes in BMI during the COVID-19 Pandemic Persist in the Post-Pandemic Period in a Pediatric Population Attending Health Care Clinics? A Longitudinal Study.Hormone research in paediatrics · 2026Article
- Article
- Turning the Tide on Childhood Overweight and Obesity: More Than a Decade of Positive Change Among 4-Year-Olds in Northern Sweden.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025Article
- Rising Rates of Obesity Amongst Children on the Autism Spectrum During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Nutrients · 2025Article
- The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sarcopenic obesity among children between 6 and 10 years of age: a prospective study.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- The prevalence of overweight among 4-year-olds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with socioeconomic burden.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025Article
- Adherence to the Singapore Integrated 24 h Activity Guidelines for Pre-Primary School Children Before, During and After the COVID-19 Lockdown in Singapore.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comparative Analysis of 24-h Movement Behaviours in Non-Overweight and Overweight/Obese Children: Findings from the FAMIly Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep (FAMIPASS).Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Obesity as a Risk Factor for the Severity of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients: Possible Mechanisms-A Narrative Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- MINISTOP 3.0: Implementation of a mHealth obesity prevention program within Swedish child healthcare - study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2024Article
- COVID-19 impact on overweight and obesity rates in Aotearoa | New Zealand 4-year-old children.Pediatric research · 2024Article
- A scoping review of physical activity-based interventions for obesity management in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2024Article
- High-Titer Anti-ZSCAN1 Antibodies in a Toddler Clinically Diagnosed with Apparent Rapid-Onset Obesity with Hypothalamic Dysfunction, Hypoventilation, and Autonomic Dysregulation Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- The Ongoing Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Obesity.Pediatric reports · 2024Review
- The ethicality of the COVID-19 response in children and adolescents.Irish journal of medical science · 2024Article
- Changes in lifestyle, adiposity, and cardiometabolic markers among young adults in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had wide effects on child health globally. Increased prevalence of childhood obesity has been observed by a number of countries during the pandemic. The absence of a formal societal lockdown during the pandemic, made Sweden stand out compared to other countries. This study aims to examine changes in BMI among preschool children in Sweden before and during COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsRetrospective population-based cross-sectional study, with longitudinal follow-up for a portion of the children. The study included 25 049 children from three Swedish regions, with growth measures at 3- (n = 16 237), 4- (n = 14 437) and 5-years of age (n = 11 711). Care Need Index was used as a socioeconomic parameter at health centre level.
resultsThere was an increase in BMI in children aged three (P = 0.028) and four (P<0.001) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Obesity in 3-year-old girls increased from 2.8% to 3.9%. Four-year-olds increased in obesity, and overweight (girls) and the prevalence of underweight decreased in boys. No change in BMI was observed in 5-year-olds. Children in areas of low socioeconomic status had higher risk of obesity.
conclusionsOverweight and obesity increased among 3- and 4-year-old children in Sweden, findings that were accentuated in children attending child health centres in areas with lower socioeconomic status. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have affected health behaviours negatively in Swedish preschool children. Our results expose the need for extended efforts directed to prevent childhood obesity, especially targeting lower socioeconomic areas.
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