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Pediatricians have warned that prolonged disruption from school, distance learning, exercise and other activities due to the Coronavirus leads to weight gain that could have long-term effects on children’s health, according to the Wall Street Journal. .
“We see a lot of elementary school-age children gain 20 to 30 pounds a year,” said Hai Cao, a pediatrician and owner of the South Slope Children’s Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Brittany Wilson, an attending physician at the Island Kids Pediatrics center in Staten Island, New York, added that the epidemic appears to be accelerating weight gain among children ages 6 to 12, who are already overweight.
“Even kids who go to school get depressed,” Wilson said. They miss their friends. Many of them are not doing well academically. With depression also comes weight gain. They are bored and I think they eat comfort. ”Studies have shown that being in the classroom helps keep the weight of students under control, especially children who live in low-income neighborhoods.
And according to research by Michael Yiddia of Rutgers University and Poonam Uri Vacaspati of Arizona State University, who have been tracking the heights and weights of tens of thousands of New Jersey children who have lived in low-income communities. since 2008, students who go to schools that offer more nutritious foods have healthier weights.
Dr. Yedidia said that children are most active during the school year, when they go to and from school, move between classes, and participate in activities such as sports and the gym. “There are all the different elements associated with being in school that are healthy for kids,” said Dr.
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