Study: Childhood obesity in U.S. accelerated during pandemic

By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study ties the COVID-19 pandemic to an “alarming” increase in obesity in U.S. children and teenagers. Childhood obesity has been increasing for decades, but the new work suggests an acceleration last year — especially in those who already were obese when the pandemic started. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the study Thursday, which is the largest yet to look at obesity trends during the pandemic. The study had some limitations. It only included children who got care before and during the pandemic. And it also did not look at how obesity trends may have differed between racial and ethnic groups.