What families can do to reduce childhood obesity during stressful, sedentary times

by Sahar Chmais 

The COVID-19 pandemic may be feeding into childhood obesity, according to research by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

Between 2018-2019, about 15.5% of American children, ages 10-17, were obese. In many cases, obesity is linked to socioeconomic status and families with low income, according to the study. The pandemic has hit low-income families and put millions of Americans out of work, making access to healthy food more difficult. But the other connection between obesity and COVID-19 the study made is that people with obesity have a higher risk of having severe COVID-19 symptoms or dying from the infection.