1 in 3 children say they started eating more unhealthy snacks during the coronavirus crisis. In addition, 75% of children started exercising less, on average 51 minutes less per day than around the same time last year. Last year, 64% of children met the physical activity guideline (1 hour of moderately intensive exercise per day); during the coronavirus crisis, this was only 20%. Furthermore, one in five children say that they have gained weight. Among children who were already overweight, this percentage is around 40%.
Although the lockdown is behind us, these negative consequences for children are probably not yet over. We are heading towards an economic crisis, and Dr Anita Vreugdenhil, one of the paediatricians involved in the study, indicates that research shows that such a crisis results in an unhealthier lifestyle among children, particularly in vulnerable groups*.
Increasing social inequality among children due to coronavirus
That the impact of the coronavirus crisis on children and young people is substantial was also shown earlier this summer by research by iresearch commissioned by JOGG.
Marjon Bachra (JOGG director): “All these studies show that social inequality is increasing enormously. Vulnerable groups experience more negative consequences of the coronavirus crisis due to a decline in income, more limited access to education and less help from parents with home schooling. This in turn leads to learning deficits, poorer mental health and weight gain. That is why JOGG is committed to ensuring that every municipality in the Netherlands actively focuses on these vulnerable children.”