Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb;20(2):e13195.
doi: 10.1111/ijpo.13195. Epub 2024 Dec 18.

COVID-19-related lockdowns and changes in overweight and obesity, movement behaviours, diet quality, and health-related quality of life among regional Australian primary school children: A repeat cross-sectional study

Claudia Strugnell  1   2 , Cadeyrn J Gaskin  2 , Denise Becker  3 , Liliana Orellana  3 , Michelle Jackson  2 , Monique Hillenaar  2 , Jillian Whelan  2 , Andrew D Brown  2 , Vicki Brown  4 , Colin Bell  2 , Josh Hayward  2 , Lena D Stephens  2 , Hayley Jensen  2 , Izzy Gribben  2 , Lee Coller  2 , Diana Tatlock  2 , Elizabeth Lehman  5 , Steven Allender  2
Affiliations

COVID-19-related lockdowns and changes in overweight and obesity, movement behaviours, diet quality, and health-related quality of life among regional Australian primary school children: A repeat cross-sectional study

Claudia Strugnell et al. Pediatr Obes. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Australian state of Victoria (in particular, its capital, Melbourne) experienced some of the longest lockdowns in the world.

Objective: This repeated cross-sectional study examined changes between March to June 2019 (pre-pandemic) and April to August 2022 (6 to 11 months following pandemic-related lockdowns) in overweight and obesity prevalence, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, diet quality, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among primary school children in north-east Victoria, Australia.

Methods: Height and weight were measured for Grade 2, 4, and 6 students in 2019 (3889 children) and 2022 (1816 children). Grade 4 and 6 students self-reported on their movement behaviours, diet quality, and HRQoL.

Results: Participation declined among schools (2019:56%, 2022:34%) and students (2019:87%, 2022:75%). Compared to children in 2019, children in 2022 had a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity; were less likely to have met guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, recreational screen time, and vegetable consumption; had higher intakes of takeaway food, energy-dense nutrient-poor snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages; and had lower HRQoL.

Conclusion: Children's health-related behaviours and outcomes seemed not to have returned to pre-pandemic levels 6 to 11 months after the final lockdowns lifted for their communities. Continued monitoring and interventions targeting the drivers of childhood obesity are urgently needed.

Keywords: COVID‐19; children; obesity; physical activity; sedentary behaviour; sleep.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Timeline of State Government imposed lockdown periods of the 12 local government areas.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Viner R, Russell S, Saulle R, et al. School closures during social lockdown and mental health, health behaviors, and well‐being among children and adolescents during the first covid‐19 wave: a systematic review. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(4):400‐409. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5840 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bussières E‐L, Malboeuf‐Hurtubise C, Meilleur A, et al. Consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic on children's mental health: a meta‐analysis. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:12. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.691659 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Panda PK, Gupta J, Chowdhury SR, et al. Psychological and behavioral impact of lockdown and quarantine measures for COVID‐19 pandemic on children, adolescents and caregivers: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. J Trop Pediatr. 2021;67(1):fmaa122. doi:10.1093/tropej/fmaa122 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anderson LN, Yoshida‐Montezuma Y, Dewart N, et al. Obesity and weight change during the COVID‐19 pandemic in children and adults: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obes Rev. 2023;24(5):e13550. doi:10.1111/obr.13550 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dietz WH. The COVID‐19 lockdown increased obesity disparities; will the increases in type 2 diabetes continue? Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023;31(3):699‐702. doi:10.1002/oby.23662 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms