Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab.  2022 Mar;27(1):52-59. 10.6065/apem.2142082.041.

Does coronavirus disease 2019 affect body mass index of children and adolescents who visited a growth clinic in South Korea?: a single-center study

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
This study investigated the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on body mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents.
Methods
From May to July 2020, the obesity rate of children and adolescents was compared retrospectively to the corresponding rate in the same period in 2019. The change in height, weight, and BMI of the girls who received a gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) for precocious puberty (n=53) and the controls (n=31) who visited a growth clinic for early breast budding but were not treated with GnRHa in the first half of 2020 were compared to the corresponding change in the first half of 2019 using a paired t-test.
Results
The rate of overweight or obesity in new outpatients (n=113, 83 girls, 30 boys) who visited growth clinics from May to July 2019 was 25.3% for girls and 23.3% for boys. The corresponding rate for the same period in 2020 (n=201, 153 girls, 48 boys) was 31.4% for girls and 45.8% for boys. There was a significant increase in the rate of overweight or obesity. The BMI of the GnRHa treatment group increased significantly from May to July 2019 than during the same period in 2020 (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in BMI between those periods in the control group.
Conclusion
During the social distancing period, the incidence of obesity was higher in boys than in girls. The obesity rate in girls who visited the growth clinic for early breast budding during routine follow-ups did not increase.

Keyword

Body mass index; COVID-19; Physical distancing; Exercise; Child; Adolescent

Figure

  • Fig. 1. Flow chart of the cases who first visited Nowon Eulji growth clinic.

  • Fig. 2. Flow chart of the cases who enrolled in the gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist treatment group and the control group. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019.

  • Fig. 3. Obesity rate of new outpatients in 2019 and 2020. BMI, body mass index; SDS, standard deviation score.

  • Fig. 4. Body mass index (BMI) distribution of patients in the gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment group in 2019 and 2020.


Cited by  1 articles

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in children and adolescents with diabetes in Daegu, South Korea
Na-Won Lee, You-Min Kim, Young-Hwan Kim, Seok-Jin Kang, Kyung-Mi Jang, Hae-Sook Kim, Jung-Eun Moon, Jin-Kyung Kim
Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2024;29(3):167-173.    doi: 10.6065/apem.2346124.062.


Reference

References

1. Wang C, Horby PW, Hayden FG, Gao GF. A novel coronavirus outbreak of global health concern. Lancet. 2020; 395:470–3.
2. Kim JY, Choe PG, Oh Y, Oh KJ, Kim J, Park SJ, et al. The first case of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia imported into Korea from Wuhan, China: implication for infection prevention and control measures. J Korean Med Sci. 2020; 35:e61.
3. World Health Organization. Naming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the virus that causes it [Internet]. Geneva (Switzerland): World Health Organization;2020. [cited 2020 Apr 28]. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it.
4. World Health Organization. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020 [Internet]. Geneva (Switzerland): World Health Organization;2020. [cited 2020 Apr 27]. Available from: https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020.
5. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The updates of COVID-19 in republic of korea as of 5 April 2020 [Internet]. Cheongju (Korea): Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;[cited 2020 Apr 5]. Available from: https://is.cdc.go.kr/upload_comm/syview/doc.html?fn=159220034100800.pdf&rs=/upload_comm/docu/0030/.
6. Ministry of Education South Korea. Deciding to postpone the opening of all elementary, middle and high schools nationwide and preparing supplementary measures for the protection and management of students entering China (COVID-19) [Internet]. Sejong (Korea): Ministry of Education, South Korea;2020. [cited 2020 Feb 25]. Available from: https://www.moe.go.kr/boardCnts/view.do?boardID=294&boardSeq=79829&lev=0&searchType=null&statusYN=W&page=9&s=moe&m=020402&opType=N.
7. Park IN, Yum HK. Stepwise strategy of social distancing in Korea. J Korean Med Sci. 2020; 35:e264.
8. Chosun Ilbo. Corona Blue... "Already for a month, I've been feeling stuffy and nervous." [Internet]. Seoul (Korea): Chosun Ilbo;2020. [cited 2020 Mar 9]. Available from: https://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/03/09/2020030900148.htmla.
9. Yenhap News. Cheongju City's 'quarantine 15’ remarks to subordinate employees and demands disciplinary action against Grade 6 employees [Internet]. Seoul (Korea): Yenhap News;2020. [cited 2020 August 28]. Available from: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200723062000064.
10. Kim JH, Yun S, Hwang SS, Shim JO, Chae HW, Lee YJ, et al. The 2017 Korean National Growth Charts for children and adolescents: development, improvement, and prospects. Korean J Pediatr. 2018; 61:135–49.
11. Telford RM, Telford RD, Olive LS, Cochrane T, Davey R. Why are girls less physically active than boys? Findings from the LOOK Longitudinal Study. PLoS One. 2016; 11:e0150041.
12. de Groot CJ, van den Berg A, Ballieux BEPB, Kroon HM, Rings EHHM, Wit JM, et al. Determinants of advanced bone age in childhood obesity. Horm Res Paediatr. 2017; 87:254–63.
13. Ahmed ML, Ong KK, Dunger DB. Childhood obesity and the timing of puberty. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2009; 20:237–42.
14. Papadimitriou A, Nicolaidou P, Fretzayas A, Chrousos GP. Clinical review: constitutional advancement of growth, a.k.a. early growth acceleration, predicts early puberty and childhood obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010; 95:4535–41.
15. Yoon JW, Park HA, Lee J, Kim JH. The influence of gonadotropin - releasing hormone agonists on anthropometric change in girls with central precocious puberty. Korean J Pediatr. 2017; 60:395–402.
16. Arrigo T, De Luca F, Antoniazzi F, Galluzzi F, Segni M, Rosano M, et al. Reduction of baseline body mass index under gonadotropin-suppressive therapy in girls with idiopathic precocious puberty. Eur J Endocrinol. 2004; 150:533–7.
17. Park J, Kim JH. Change in body mass index and insulin resistance after 1-year treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in girls with central precocious puberty. Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2017; 22:27–35.
18. Kim SW, Kim YB, Lee JE, Kim NR, Lee WK, Ku JK, et al. The influence of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist treatment on the body weight and body mass index in girls with idiopathic precocious puberty and early puberty. Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2017; 22:95–101.
19. Tadic M, Cuspidi C, Sala C. COVID-19 and diabetes: Is there enough evidence? J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2020; 22:943–8.
20. Zhu L, She ZG, Cheng X, Qin JJ, Zhang XJ, Cai J, et al. Association of blood glucose control and outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing type 2 diabetes. Cell Metab. 2020; 31:1068–77. e3.
21. Khoo B, Tan T, Clarke SA, Mills EG, Patel B, Modi M, et al. Thyroid function before, during, and after COVID-19. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021; 106:e803–11.
22. Ceconi V, Barbi E, Tornese G. Glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus and COVID-19 lockdown: what comes after a "quarantine"? J Diabetes. 2020; 12:946–8.
23. Tittel SR, Rosenbauer J, Kamrath C, Ziegler J, Reschke F, Hammersen J, et al. Did the COVID-19 Lockdown affect the incidence of pediatric type 1 diabetes in Germany? Diabetes Care. 2020; 43:e172–3.
24. Park J, Hwang TH, Kim YD, Han HS. Longitudinal follow-up to near final height of auxological changes in girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog and grouped by pretreatment body mass index level. Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2018; 23:14–20.
Full Text Links
  • APEM
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr