{"id":5058423,"date":"2022-02-14T17:24:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T17:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/?p=5058423"},"modified":"2022-02-14T17:24:29","modified_gmt":"2022-02-14T17:24:29","slug":"lockdowns-remote-learning-contribute-to-surge-in-childhood-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2022\/02\/14\/lockdowns-remote-learning-contribute-to-surge-in-childhood-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdowns, Remote Learning Contribute To Surge In Childhood Obesity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Poor nutrition, stress and a loss of physical activity when schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic appear to be worsening the problem of childhood obesity nationally and in Connecticut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nationally, obesity among youth ages 2 to 19 increased from 19.3% in 2019 to 22.4% in 2020, according to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/stateofchildhoodobesity.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Robert Wood Johnson Foundation<\/a>. The same age group saw the rate of increase in their body mass index (BMI)&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/70\/wr\/mm7037a3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">double during the pandemic<\/a>, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The heaviest youths experienced the highest gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Connecticut, the obesity rate among ages 10 to 17 rose from 13.3% in 2018-19 to 15.3% in 2019-2020, according to the Johnson Foundation report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pediatrician referrals of children have nearly tripled at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.connecticutchildrens.org\/search-specialties\/obesity-weight-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pediatric Obesity Center for Treatment, Research and Education<\/a>&nbsp;at Connecticut Children\u2019s Medical Center in Hartford. In 2019, it had 890 referrals, which grew to 2,491 in 2021. It now has a waiting list of nearly a year, with 642 children on it, said Dr. Christine Finck, the center\u2019s surgical director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ramp-up in referrals was so acute and took us by surprise,\u2019\u2019 Finck said. \u201cIt\u2019s really been a tough challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To meet the demand, the center is expanding its program<strong>\u2014<\/strong>which offers nutrition education, counseling, and even bariatric surgery for children with severe obesity<strong>\u2014<\/strong>into Farmington, Fairfield and Westport, said Dr. Melissa Santos, the division chief of pediatric psychology and the clinical director of the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cKids\u2019 rates of obesity are significantly higher now than they\u2019ve ever been,\u2019\u2019 Santos said, with some patients weighing 400, 500 and even 800 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Gardening And Jumping Jacks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A variety of programs across Connecticut are tackling childhood obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Joey-Listro.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5058424\" width=\"178\" height=\"157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/Joey-Listro.jpeg 543w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/Joey-Listro-300x266.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 178px) 100vw, 178px\" \/><figcaption>Joey Listro <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With 13 gardens at city schools,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newbritainroots.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Britain ROOTS<\/a>&nbsp;teaches children to improve their eating habits by growing collard greens, spinach, lettuce, squash, and even tilapia in a new fish reservoir. Executive Director Joey Listro said ROOTS educates 500 children at a time, and it\u2019s been therapeutic to see them back outdoors after the stress of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGardening has a very calming effect,\u2019\u2019 Listro said. \u201cAnd if they don\u2019t have media around them, they can be left alone with their own thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the longest-running programs in the state is the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.brightbodies.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bright Bodies Healthy Lifestyle Program<\/a>, which Mary Savoye, a registered dietitian, started 23 years ago at Yale New Haven Hospital. She said participants in the program have seen a 1.7-unit drop in their BMI after one year, compared to a 1.6-unit increase in the control group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bright Bodies provides 70 families a year with nutrition education, behavior modification and exercise classes, now held on Zoom and featuring planks, lunges and jumping jacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The effect of the pandemic on children\u2019s weight and their ability to exercise has been stark, Savoye said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was a limited amount of exercise happening and a lot of emotional eating,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said nutrition also suffered in many households, where parents were buying unhealthy, processed food because it had a long shelf life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DrMelissaSantos.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5058425\" width=\"-72\" height=\"-74\" \/><figcaption>Melissa Santos<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Hartford, Santos said isolation, stress and excess screen time when learning was remote contributed to childhood obesity. One of her program\u2019s goals is to have the children spend no more than two hours a day online instead of the 12 or more hours she\u2019s seeing. Its other \u201cFit5\u201d daily goals are: eat five fruits and vegetables, have four servings of calcium, give and get three compliments, exercise for one hour and have no sugar-sweetened drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Santos said some of her patients rarely went outdoors during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI had one mom say, \u2018My child looks ashy,\u2019 \u201d Santos said. \u201cShe\u2019s like, \u2018I make him go sit outside in the sun for a half an hour a day like he\u2019s a houseplant.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Better Self-Esteem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of Bright Bodies\u2019 participants come from low-income families, and about two-thirds are Black or Latino\u2014all groups disproportionately affected by childhood obesity, Savoye said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But two participants say they\u2019ve lost weight, are eating in moderation, and feel better about themselves now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sol Gonzalez of New Haven said her pediatrician recommended Bright Bodies last spring because her son AngelGabriel Coronel\u2019s blood sugar levels put him at risk for diabetes. Since joining, AG, as his family calls him, has lost 12 pounds. The fifth-grader at Nathan Hale School said he gets less out of breath now playing basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBefore, I used to think that other kids would make fun of me when I wasn\u2019t looking, but now, I don\u2019t think they really are,\u2019\u2019 AG said. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten lighter, and I can do a lot of things that I couldn\u2019t before, like I can play sports better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"755\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Childhood-obesity-1170x863-1-1024x755.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5058426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/Childhood-obesity-1170x863-1-1024x755.png 1024w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/Childhood-obesity-1170x863-1-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/Childhood-obesity-1170x863-1-768x566.png 768w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/Childhood-obesity-1170x863-1.png 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tears welled up in Alysha Newton-Cueto\u2019s eyes as she talked about being teased for being overweight while growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI used to get bullied a lot,\u201d Newton-Cueto, 21, of New Haven, said. \u201cKids said I should drop off a bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But she said things are looking up for her thanks to Bright Bodies. Her mother, Tiquanda Newton, said her daughter had done the program at age 10 and asked if she could do it again when her self-esteem was low last fall. She can take part at her age because she has cognitive and learning disabilities, Newton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The family\u2019s eating better and doing the Zoom workouts together. Newton said she\u2019s lost 14 pounds and Newton-Cueto has lost 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s something that was missing in our family for a long time,\u2019\u2019 Newton said of Bright Bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cover Photo: Angel Gabriel Coronel, 10, of New Haven, has lost 12 pounds since joining the Bright Bodies program. He is heading into his third 12-week session. He has learned about healthy eating and enjoys the exercise program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photo by Melanie Stengel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Publisher\u2019s Note:<\/em>&nbsp;<em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/\">CTLN<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/c-hit.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">c-hit.org<\/a>&nbsp;collaborate to best serve the Connecticut Hispanic, Latino community<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Poor nutrition, stress and a loss of physical activity when schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic appear to be worsening [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5058427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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