US childhood obesity epidemic worsened by Covid-19 pandemic

Reprinted from an article by CNN

By Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez and Dr. John Rausch, CNN  

Pediatricians like us have seen it over and over again in the last few months -- kids who have put on 5, sometimes 10, at times even 20 pounds -- since the onset of the pandemic.

In a year filled with so much tragedy and suffering, it would be easy to dismiss a few extra pounds in a child or to think of weight gain as a problem to be solved once the pandemic recedes. But the weight gain we are seeing in kids is neither trivial nor can it wait.

The specifics leading to weight gain vary. Sometimes it's Dad, who recently took over the cooking and may be overfeeding the kids; other times it's Grandma, who has been spoiling them now that they're home; for still others, favorite sports are no longer an option, or they've stopped going outside altogether.

Read More on CNN