Evangelia Kapsali

Ms. Evangelia Kapsali

Post graduate Student at Athens Medical School - Strategies of Developmental and Adolescent Health

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

6Years (2021-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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12 February 2021 in Children
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ASAndroniki Stavridou
Androniki Stavridou
Evangelia KapsaliEvangelia Kapsali
Evangelia Kapsali
EPEleni Panagouli
Eleni Panagouli
ATAthanasios Thirios
Athanasios Thirios
KPKONSTANTINOS POLYCHRONIS
KONSTANTINOS POLYCHRONIS
ATArtemis Tsitsika
Artemis Tsitsika
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to special circumstances and changes to everyday life due to the worldwide measures that were imposed such as lockdowns. This review aims to evaluate obesity in children, adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A literature search was conducted to evaluate pertinent studies up to 10 November 2020. Results: A total of 15 articles were eligible; 9 identified 17,028,111 children, adolescents and young adults from 5–25 years old, 5 pertained to studies with an age admixture (n = 20,521) and one study included parents with children 5–18 years old (n = 584). During the COVID-19 era, children, adolescents and young adults gained weight. Changes in dietary behaviors, increased food intake and unhealthy food choices including potatoes, meat and sugary drinks were noted during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity associated with financial reasons represents another concern. Moreover, as the restrictions imposed reduced movements out of the house, physical activity was limited, representing another risk factor for weight gain. Conclusions: COVID-19 restrictions disrupted the everyday routine of children, adolescents and young adults and elicited changes in their eating behaviors and physical activity. To protect them, health care providers should highlight the risk of obesity and provide prevention strategies, ensuring also parental participation. Worldwide policies, guidelines and precautionary measures should ideally be established.