More than Half of Adults Didn’t Put on “Pandemic” Pounds, But Kids Did

Weight for most adults hasn’t increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the previous year, but children are packing on extra pounds.

Your exercises classes stopped, and, in cities, you weren’t walking to the bus anymore to go to work. Instead, you were at home on video conference calls. Your children were also at home instead of going to school.

Many people blamed stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic for weight gain. But data suggests that only children have gained more pounds than they normally would during any other year.

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Adult weight gain

In a survey for the American Psychological Association, reported in March 2021 a year after the pandemic began, 42 percent of American adults said they’d gained weight they didn’t need, on average 29 lbs. For 39 percent of men, the average was 37 lbs. A small group — 18 percent of U.S. adults — said they’d lost weight.

A large study by the Epic Health Research Network (EHRN), however, suggests this perception was wrong, concluding that many more people lost weight than the survey suggested. In the EHRN data, 35 percent of participants lost weight, while 39 percent gained. The rest had no weight change at all. The average weight did go up, but that had been happening previously.

The research project had an interesting approach: Separate teams looked at the same data and drew their conclusions. The data came from 128 healthcare organizations spanning 49 states, including around 15 million adults in the year before the pandemic and a different 15 million from March 2020 to May 2021.

Weight gain among children

Using the same approach with two teams and data for more than 5.3 million children, EHRN did find that the pandemic pushed more children above their expected weight. Before the pandemic, close to 24 percent of children were overweight; afterwards, nearly 34 percent were, an increase of 41 percent.

How to help your child lose weight

So, what can you do to help your child slim down?

1. Although teens may be able to lose a half pound to 2 pounds a week, younger children may only need to maintain their current weight or gain more slowly because they’re still growing. Ask your pediatrician what the right goal for your child should be.
2. Make changes that apply to the whole family, not just the children or one child. Some evidence suggests children are more likely to lose weight when their parents are losing at the same time (this may be less true of teens).
3. Serve child-size portions. Let children ask for more if they're still hungry. Never insist that your child finish everything on his or her plate. Use smaller plates for little kids, and encourage your child to eat slowly.
4. If you and your child tend to sit around, getting more active will improve everyone’s health. Children need an hour of physical activity every day. To work up to that goal, make exercise a family outing. Help your child find a fun activity — maybe a sport or dancing. Encourage time outdoors.
5. If you haven’t been eating meals as a family, make this happen one or two nights a week, with a goal to eat together more as time goes on. One study showed that children who shared three or more family meals a week were 35 percent less likely to have an eating problem. You should also cut back on restaurant meals with your family, especially fast food, as they’ll tend to cause you to gain weight.
6. When it comes to what your child eats, don’t use the word “diet” and make small changes each week.

Some changes that could go a long way

• You could start by serving water or low-fat milk with meals instead of juice and soda.
• The next week, trade white foods — white bread, rice, and potatoes — for more nutritious starches. A sweet potato is better than a white potato. Brown rice is better than white. Look for healthful whole grain breads.
• On another week, you might ask your child to try quinoa or millet.
•  The next step might be to stop restocking snacks like chips, cookies, and candy. Instead, offer your children carrots or fruit. It’s best not to declare anything off-limits but simply to avoid having sugary or fatty low-nutrient food available.
• To encourage your children to enjoy fruits and vegetables, have them pick out items in the grocery store.
• Add fruits and vegetables they like to meals. Add berries to cereal, and load carrots with peanut butter when they want a snack.
• Add vegetables to meat loaf or lasagna, using less or no meat.
•  Make sure your child is getting enough sleep.

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