National data showed an increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among four‐year‐old Swedish children during the first year of COVID‐19

Abstract

AbstractAimThis paper summarised national data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 4‐year‐old children in Sweden in 2020, the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic. It compares this with data from 2018. Differences between regions and sex were identified.MethodsComparative data from Swedish Child Health Services were available for 18/21 regions. Chi‐square tests were used to compare data from 2018 and 2020 and to examine differences between the sexes. Sex and year were examined through interaction tests.ResultsIn 2020, 13.3% of the 100 001 children had overweight or obesity: 15.1% of the girls and 11.6% of the boys (p < 0.001). In 2018, 11.4% of the 105 445 children had overweight or obesity: 13.2% of the girls and 9.4% of the boys. This was an overall increase of 16.6% (p = 0.000) in the national Swedish data from 2018 to 2020. The increase between the years was greater for obesity (31.8%, p = 0.000) than for overweight (13.3%, p = 0.000).ConclusionThe prevalence of overweight and obesity among 4‐year‐olds in Sweden increased during the COVID‐19 pandemic and needs to be addressed. The prevalence needs to be followed as part of prevention programmes and to evaluate health interventions.