Wu AJ, Aris IM, Hivert MF, et al. - Obesity prevention and management has been hindered because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its social stressors. In this study, obesity prevalence in 3 periods from 2018 to 2020 [from July 1 to December 31, 2018 (historical control period), July 1 to December 31, 2019 (pre–COVID-19), and July 1 to December 31, 2020 (post–COVID-19 initial surge)] was examined in a fixed cohort of children and adolescents using the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s disease surveillance system (MDPHnet).

• A total of 46,151 participants were included; of whom 4,197 (9%) were Asian; 4,582 (10%), Black; 5,862 (13%), Hispanic; 46 (0.1%), Native American; 24,751 (54%) White; and 6,713 (15%), unknown race and ethnicity.

• Although there was a rising prevalence of childhood obesity prior to COVID-19, the prevalence rose by a greater difference in Massachusetts youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• In line with recent studies by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente, this work indicated higher increases in obesity prevalence and BMI during COVID-19 vs before COVID-19, although no analysis of subgroups by race and ethnicity was performed.

• Further, there were greater increases in obesity prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Black and Hispanic youth, particularly in boys aged 6 to 11 years supporting the findings from the study by Jenssen et al.