Abstract
Background & Aims: Child obesity and overweight are a major global health problem. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact at various levels. A state of emergency and confinement was declared between March and April of 2020, forcing children to cease from attending school and activities, including sports. In this unprecedented situation, there are few studies in Portugal in showing the real impact on children´s health. The aim was to test the hypothesis that this pandemic-associated lockdown had an impact on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the pediatric population in our hospital setting. Methods: The patients selected were children between 5 and 17 years old that had at least 2 consultations pre-lockdown and 1 afterwards with at least one measurement compatible with “overweight” or “obesity” diagnosis. The authors evaluated the evolution of anthropometric measures and possible contributors for its modification. Data analysis was performed by SPSS v. 27®. Results: 114 pediatric patients were included. Comparing the mean body weight variation and BMI, between C1 and C2, it was 2.3±3.7 kg and 0.4±1.5 kg/m 2, respectively, while from C2 to C3 it was 3.6±3.9 kg and 0.9±1.4 kg/m 2. The main change in the eating pattern was the increase of snacks consumption (51.8% of patients). All patients ceased physical education and 45.6%, sports practice in general. Conclusion: Our results showed that the pandemic lockdown period has likely contributed to the worsening of pediatric obesity. As childhood obesity can lead to serious adulthood comorbidities, pediatricians will need to support families in finding ways to address barriers to healthy lifestyles in case new lockdown periods are necessary.

Key words: Children, obesity, COVID-19 Confinement, physical activity, diet