Covibesity (Part 1)

Last May 16 and 17, 2022, I attended the virtual convention of the Philippine Ambulatory Pediatrics Association and this topic was of great interest and importance. So, I emailed the speaker, Dr Antonette Abigail A. Natino, a pediatrician and a member of the Philippine Society of Pediatric Metabolism and Endocrinology , asking her permission to echo her lecture in this column. She gave me a positive reply to my request.
Dr Natino emphasized that indeed childhood obesity is endemic. Worldwide, 39M children below 5 years are overweight or obese in 2020. 340M ,(18%), children and adolescents between 5-19 years are overweight or obese in 2016. And that, 13% of adults or 1.9B were obese in 2016.

Dr Natino stated clearly that 1 in 10 children and 1 in 5 adolescents are obese in the Philippines.

Just like in the adult population, obesity among the pediatric age group has medical consequences and these are as follows: early puberty or menarche – metabolic syndrome that includes insulin resistance – dyslipidemia – hypertension – diabetes mellitus – gynecomastia – subclinical inflammation – PCOS – obese adult – cardiovascular diseases

Childhood obesity can also have psychosocial consequences that include: – social stigmatization – depression – discrimination – poor body image – bullying – poor learning – anxiety – and low self- confidence.

So, what are the determinants of childhood obesity in developing countries? These are the following: 1. Unhealthy nutrition,  2. Physical inactivity,  3. Low socioeconomic status, 4. Area of residence 5. Sociocultural factors, 6. Genetic factors – parental obesity predicts obesity of offspring – maternal weight gain, carbohydrate intake during pregnancy
So, why covibesity? It is because during pandemic, the obesity and the covid-19 collided with each other. Because of the pandemic, there was: – school closure – increased screen time – job loss – food insecurity – activation of stress response – lack of healthcare access and these above factors contributed one to be in an obesogenic environment and in mental stress that could trigger one to an unhealthy eating habits
During the pandemic, families stocked up on shelf-stable food that are ultra-processed, calorie-dense comfort food. (To be continued )