Hala Alqahtani

Dr. Hala Alqahtani


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

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

Representative Publications

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12 November 2025 in Healthcare
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
AAAmal Alhakami
Amal Alhakami
EAEbtihag O. Alenzi
Ebtihag O. Alenzi
NANAJLA ALGARIRI
NAJLA ALGARIRI
RARawan Abdulaziz Assiri
Rawan Abdulaziz Assiri
HAHala Alqahtani
Hala Alqahtani
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant changes on daily life. It negatively impacts children’s physical activity and lifestyle behaviors, which may cause accelerated weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to evaluate children’s longitudinal age- and sex-adjusted body mass index (BMI) percentile changes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Height and weight data were obtained from electronic medical records for children (ages 2–18) visiting outpatient clinics during three periods: pre-COVID-19 lockdown, during COVID-19 lockdown, and post-COVID-19 lockdown. According to the availability of anthropometric information, three partially overlapping cohorts were formed: Cohort 1 (N = 934, pre- and during lockdown), Cohort 2 (N = 1129, during and post-lockdown), and Cohort 3 (N = 203, data from all three periods). Results: During the lockdown, the mean changes in percentiles of age- and sex-adjusted BMI were 6% ± 0.23, while after the lockdown, there were smaller mean changes in BMI percentiles (1% ± 0.19). There were significant associations of age and the baseline BMI categories with the change in the means of the adjusted BMI percentile of children during and after the COVID-19 pandemic (p-value < 0.001). In addition, there were significant associations of gender and the baseline BMI categories with the change in the means of the adjusted BMI percentile of children over a three-time series (p-value: <0.04, <0.001, respectively). Conclusions: In conclusion, children experienced increased BMI during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. This result highlights the importance of structured interventions to mitigate the consequences during challenging times on children’s health.