Lessons learned from COVID-19: how did the pandemic affect children’s health and habits?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought seismic changes to the lives of many families across the WHO European Region. Lockdowns, restrictions, and emergency policies have changed our diets, physical activity patterns and many other daily habits that are tightly connected to our well-being. Data from a new WHO/Europe factsheet enable us to assess both positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health across the WHO European Region, with a special focus on school-aged children.

Lesson one: increased frequency of home cooking

One positive outcome has emerged from the crisis: more families started cooking at home regularly. As COVID restrictions confined individuals to their households, the kitchen became a hub that brought families together.

Approximately 30% of families began to prepare homemade meals, which gave them greater control over ingredients.

"Home-cooked food usually contains less trans-fat, sugar and salt compared to ready-to-eat supermarket food or meals we order from delivery services. Therefore, cooking at home is a great way to improve our diets, which in turn can help us to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even cancer," explains Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, WHO/Europe Regional Adviser on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

In this post-COVID period, we need to find a way to safeguard this healthy development. Countries can continue to encourage healthy choices through laws that make fruits and vegetables more affordable, and by imposing taxes on sugary drinks and creating health promotion campaigns.

"Not only is home-cooked food often healthier, it can also be less expensive, which is important for families in the current environment, when many people need to find ways to cut costs in their household expenses," added Dr Wickramasinghe.

Lesson two: increased consumption of sweets

Unfortunately, the pandemic also presented new challenges for children.

One in 5 parents who took part in WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative survey reported that their children began consuming more sweets, such as candies, cakes, ice cream, and pastries.

Higher sugar intake is linked to an increased risk of dental caries and obesity, and provides energy without ensuring that children are getting the micronutrients they need for optimal growth and development. The WHO European Region is facing an epidemic of childhood obesity, with 1 in 3 children currently living with the condition, which puts them at risk of developing NCDs later in life.

Lesson three: decreased levels of active play for children

Furthermore, the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic greatly reduced opportunities for children to engage in physical activity and outdoor play.

Thirty per cent of children became less physically active during this period, missing out on the health benefits of activities such as cycling, playing football or running around in the park.

In addition, during the lockdown period over 35% of children spent more time watching television, playing video games or using social media, increasing their sedentary time, thus putting themselves at greater risk of becoming overweight and obese, and increasing their exposure to marketing of unhealthy products via digital media.

The factsheet also showed the negative impact of COVID-19 on the psychosocial well-being of children, which may further impact children's lifestyle and behaviours.

Building a healthier environment after COVID

The factsheet was prepared by the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. Data were gathered as part of the sixth round of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) between 2021 and 2022.

These data provide invaluable insights into the consequences - both good and bad - of the pandemic and the effects it had on children. This is one of the largest studies of its kind, and the lessons learned can help countries to plan for future emergencies and pandemics.

"The lessons we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the importance of implementing effective policies to improve food environments, encourage physical activity, and protect the health and well-being of families. By capitalizing on these lessons we can strive to create a healthier future for all during this time after the pandemic, in line with the European Programme of Work, 2020-2025," said Dr Wickramasinghe.

"This is particularly important for protecting the health of groups from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, who were hit hardest by the negative effects of the pandemic," he also noted.

"Policy considerations to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the psychosocial well-being of children include delivery of universal mental health promotion/prevention activities for school-aged children, expanding access to family and parenting support initiatives, and identifying opportunities to provide accessible psychosocial support in community and primary health-care settings," added Dr Ledia Lazeri, Regional Adviser for Mental Health.

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