Concerns of parents about children's overweight and obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.
Mahdiye Razi, Ahmad Nasiri
PMID 34801324WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with obesity described lockdown as removing school routines, sports, and peer feedback while increasing food access, stress eating, screen time, and irregular sleep.
They felt unable to use their usual weight-control plans and worried about infection.
Key findings
01Parents described children eating more because food was constantly available at home, eating replaced usual entertainment, and stress about coronavirus contributed to overeating.
02Parents described children becoming sedentary after school closures and virtual education, with reduced activity and increased reliance on laptops, tablets, televisions, and phones.
03Parents described feeling unable to control their children's weight because clubs were closed, safe outings and visits were limited, and their own work, fatigue, or infection made previous strategies impossible.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 16 parents were interviewed, and the study was conducted in three urban areas of Mashhad, Iran, where most families had high incomes and lived in apartments, so the findings may not apply to other settings or income groups. The sample included 15 mothers and 1 father, so it mainly reflects mothers' accounts. The findings are parents' reported experiences and themes, not measured changes in children's weight, diet, activity, or sleep. Recruitment and interviews were difficult because they took place during COVID-19 restrictions, which may have shaped what parents could safely do and what they reported.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that lockdown caused children to gain weight or that a nurse-led programme would work. The study reports 16 parents' perceptions in an Iranian city and did not test an intervention.