09 Sep Nemours Study Finds COVID Influenced Weight Gain Trajectories in Children

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Thao Ly Phan

Thao-Ly Phan, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Nemours Children’s Health
Professor of Pediatrics
Thomas Jefferson University

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been extensively studied in adults, but there has been limited exploration of its effects on children and adolescents. While several studies have described weight gain trends in children during the pandemic, less is known about how having a diagnosis of COVID-19 contributed to these trends. Our study drew on the NIH’s National Clinical Cohort Collaborative database, a real-world database of electronic health data from over 90 institutions across the country.  We used this dataset’s unique features to compare a diverse group of more than 11,000 children diagnosed with COVID-19 to a matched cohort of children without a diagnosis of COVID-19.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: We found that children diagnosed with COVID-19 and those not diagnosed with the disease gained weight during the pandemic, but patients who had a COVID-19 diagnosis gained more weight on average.

MedicalResearch.com: Did the weight stabilize or return to baseline after COVID resolution?

Response: We also found that for the children diagnosed with COVID-19, their weight gain continued after the diagnosis. This is not surprising given that some of the factors that led to weight gain during the pandemic, like an increase in screen time and sedentary behaviors, abnormal eating patterns and food insecurity, and social isolation and stress are things that can persist and have an impact well beyond an acute infection.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: The pandemic was several years ago, so this study might not seem entirely relevant today, but I see that time as a period of extreme stress and disruption to the lives of so many children and families. Some of the lifestyle behavior changes that led to weight gain during the pandemic can happen during other disruptive or stressful times. So, it’s important to be aware of what a child is experiencing in their social environment and how that could impact things like sleep, diet, and overall physical and mental health.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?

Response: Much research is emerging on COVID-19’s long-term impacts, including the NIH’s RECOVER study, on which Nemours Children’s is a leading pediatric partner with the NIH.  I am a clinician and solutions-oriented researcher, and I think another key area for future research is to understand how we can prevent weight gain and other adverse health impacts in children from traumatic and disruptive events. Studying ways to promote wellness, build resilience, and support children during times of stress will be important for further studies in this area.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures?

Response: This study was supported by NIH awards P20GM103446 and U54-GM104941 and utilized data and tools accessible through the NCATS N3C Data Enclave.

I would like to thank my colleagues at the University of Delaware Department of Computer Science, Nemours Biomedical Research Informatics Core, and N3C colleagues from the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and West Virginia University for their collaboration on this study. 

Citation:

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Last Updated on September 9, 2025 by Marie Benz MD FAAD