03 Jan 2023 --- Obesity in preschool children increased significantly in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the country’s relatively loose lockdown measures. This observation comes from a recent study published in the European Journal of Public Health, in which data was accumulated on 25,049 children aged three to five that underwent regular health checks at child health centers across the Dalarna, Jönköping and Sörmland counties. Previous studies in this area have often focused on children of school age or been based in countries with tighter restrictions than Sweden during the pandemic. These studies have also generally documented increases in weight and obesity among school children during the pandemic.
