The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has health, social, and economic implications. Our primary objective was to evaluate changes in body mass index (BMI) from the pre-pandemic to COVID-19 pandemic period among a large pediatric population in Israel. This retrospective cohort study is based on data from Clalit Health Services, the largest health maintenance organization in Israel. The data accessed included sociodemographic, anthropometric, and clinical parameters of persons aged 2–20 years with at least one BMI measurement during 2017–2019 (pre-pandemic period) and one between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 (pandemic period). The cohort comprised 36,837 individuals (50.8% females); median age 11.2 years, 83.6% were Jewish and 10.3% of Arab ethnicity. BMI-SDS increased in both sexes (p < 0.001), in both ethnicities (p < 0.001), in all socioeconomic position clusters (p < 0.001), in children aged 2–18 years (P < 0.001), and in children with underweight or normal-weight in the pre-pandemic period (p < 0.001). For 21,610 individuals (35.6%), BMI-SDS increased ≥0.25 SD. The increase in BMI-SDS was greater in children aged 2–6 compared to 6.1–18 years; BMI-SDS decreased among those aged 18.1–20 years (P < 0.001). The increase in BMI-SDS was greater among those with underweight than normal weight; BMI-SDS decreased among those with overweight and obesity (P < 0.001). During the pandemic, overweight or obesity presented in 11.2% of those with normal weight in the pre-pandemic period; and obesity presented in 21.4% of those with overweight in the pre-pandemic period. The COVID-19 pandemic correlated with overall weight gain among children and adolescents, with the most substantial weight gain in children aged 2–6 years. Notably, the most significant increase in BMI-SDS was observed in children with underweight; BMI-SDS decreased in children with overweight and obesity. Policies should be established during the pandemic that focus on increasing physical activity, reducing sedentary time, and promoting healthy diets. 

/pdf/changes-in-body-mass-index-in-children-and-adolescents-in-1iko8gfk.pdf

Changes in body mass index in children and adolescents in Israel during the COVID-19 pandemic

This cohort study assesses trends in diagnoses of eating disorders among girls aged 6 to 16 years in Norway before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

/pdf/eating-disorder-diagnoses-in-children-and-adolescents-in-81ipv101.pdf

Eating Disorder Diagnoses in Children and Adolescents in Norway Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE
The majority of eating disorder (ED) carer research has been conducted with parents of adult patients, using qualitative methodologies, focusing on carer burden and distress during treatment. This article aimed to use results from a large, national, quantitative survey of parents of child or adolescent patients as a springboard for encouraging a more comprehensive investigation of parent experiences.


METHODS
The online survey assessed treatment experiences and parent distress (DASS-21) but also less commonly investigated topics including symptom detection, experiences with primary care providers, and impacts on parent physical and psychological health, romantic relationship, finances, and employment.


RESULTS
Key findings included parents (N = 439; 91.6% female): were the first person to notice the ED symptoms in 81.8% of cases; had only a 14.7% chance of a helpful experience with both the first general practitioner and first therapist they saw; needed to see M = 3.55 therapists before finding one that could help; reported worse than normal psychological health (96.0%), physical health (70.5%), and romantic relationship (92.7%); required M = 70.06 days leave from work to care for their child (per household); and 91.8% accessed treatment in the private sector with median out-of-pocket expenses of AUD 10,0001-AUD 20,000.


DISCUSSION
Recommendations to address research and practice gaps include: increased focus on supporting initial symptom detection; improving primary care and treatment experiences; and, increasing the number of ED treatment providers. Urgently needed are solutions to the overwhelming demand for services and clearly, more support for parents. Such strategies are vital for reducing the overall burden of EDs.


PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE
Most eating disorder (ED) caregiver research has focused on experiences of supporting adult patients during treatment. This article used a large national survey to explore parent experiences of their child or adolescent's ED in less commonly investigated areas, such as detection, primary care, impact on parent physical and psychological health, romantic relationship, employment and finances. Findings suggested mixed experiences with health care providers and a very significant toll of the illness on the domains measured. Recommendations were provided for how these important areas can be addressed.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/eat.23938

Toward a more comprehensive understanding and support of parents with a child experiencing an eating disorder.

Reports on longitudinal trends in mental health-related (MHR) emergency department (ED) utilization spanning the pre- and post-pandemic periods are lacking, along with evidence comparing healthcare services utilization by sociodemographic subgroups. The aim of this study was to evaluate COVID-19-associated changes in MHR ED utilization among youth overall and by age, sex, and socio-economic status (SES).This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed MHR ED utilization before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large urban pediatric tertiary care hospital in Montréal, Canada. All ED visits for children (5-11 years) and adolescents (12-17 years) between April 1, 2016 and November 30, 2021 were included. The main outcome was the monthly count of MHR ED visits. Pre-pandemic and pandemic periods were compared using an interrupted time series design. The effect of seasonality (in months), age (in years), sex (male or female), and SES (low, average, high) were compared using a generalized additive model.There were a total of 437,147 ED visits (204,215 unique patients) during the 5-year study period of which 9748 (5.8%) were MHR visits (7,686 unique patients). We observed an increase of 69% (95% CI, + 53% to + 85%; p = 0.001) in the mean monthly count of MHR ED visits during the pandemic period, which remained significant after adjusting for seasonality (44% increase, 95% CI, + 38% to + 51%; p = 0.001). The chance of presenting for a MHR ED visit increased non-linearly with age. There were increased odds of presenting for a MHR ED visit among girls between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.29-1.56). No difference by SES group during and before the COVID-19 pandemic was found [OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.89-1.15 (low); OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.96-1.25 (high)].Our study shows important increases in MHR ED utilization among youth, and especially among girls, during the first 20 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for sustained, targeted and scalable mental health resources to support youth mental health during the current and future crises. 

/pdf/a-comparative-analysis-of-pediatric-mental-health-related-22grn2gj.pdf

A comparative analysis of pediatric mental health-related emergency department utilization in Montréal, Canada, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID‐19 mitigation measures, including closures of schools and recreational facilities and alterations in eating behaviours and physical activity, may impact weight.

Weighing in on COVID‐19: The impact of the pandemic on children and adolescents with obesity participating in a weight management program

Acute Care Visits for Eating Disorders Among Children and Adolescents After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and objective Despite firearms contributing to significant morbidity and mortality globally, firearm injury epidemiology is seldom described outside of the USA. We examined firearm injuries among youth in Canada, including weapon type, and intent. Design Population-based, pooled cross-sectional study using linked health administrative and demographic databases. Setting Ontario, Canada. Participants All children and youth from birth to 24 years, residing in Ontario from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2018. Exposure Firearm injury intent and weapon type using the International Classification of Disease-10 CM codes with Canadian enhancements. Secondary exposures were sociodemographics including age, sex, rurality and income. Main outcomes Any hospital or death record of a firearm injury with counts and rates of firearm injuries described overall and stratified by weapon type and injury intent. Multivariable Poisson regression stratified by injury intent was used to calculate rate ratios of firearm injuries by weapon type. Results Of 5486 children and youth with a firearm injury (annual rate: 8.8/100 000 population), 90.7% survived. Most injuries occurred in males (90.1%, 15.5/100 000 population). 62.3% (3416) of injuries were unintentional (5.5/100 000 population) of which 1.9% were deaths, whereas 26.5% (1452) were assault related (2.3/100 00 population) of which 18.7% were deaths. Self-injury accounted for 3.7% (204) of cases of which 72.0% were deaths. Across all intents, adjusted regression models showed males were at an increased risk of injury. Non-powdered firearms accounted for half (48.6%, 3.9/100 000 population) of all injuries. Compared with handguns, non-powdered firearms had a higher risk of causing unintentional injuries (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) 14.75, 95% CI 12.01 to 18.12) but not assault (aRR 0.84, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.00). Conclusions Firearm injuries are a preventable public health problem among youth in Ontario, Canada. Unintentional injuries and those caused by non-powdered firearms were most common and assault and self-injury contributed to substantial firearm-related deaths and should be a focus of prevention efforts.

Lisa Fiksenbaum

Papers

Acute Care Visits for Eating Disorders Among Children and Adolescents After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Firearm injury epidemiology in children and youth in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study.