Enlarge image
Young males between the ages of 15 and 18 in particular are often overweight (symbol image)
Photo: Image Source/Getty Images
According to a new study, nationwide more and more children and young people are obese.
Especially during the corona pandemic, minors have gained weight.
Between 2011 and 2021, the number of 6 to 18 year olds affected by obesity grew by 33.5 percent.
This emerges from data from the KKH commercial health insurance company in Hanover.
According to the KKH, obesity is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood and adolescence.
For the study, the insurance company collected anonymized data from its insured between the ages of 6 and 18 with the corresponding diagnosis.
In 2021, an average of 6 percent of children and young people were affected, in 2011 it was 4.5 percent.
According to the KKH, it has around 1.6 million insured persons.
In the group of 15 to 18-year-olds, the number even increased by 42.5 percent, and among young men in this age group by as much as 54.5 percent.
According to Christine Joisten, board member of the Working Group on Obesity in Children, there is a massive increase, especially in social hotspots.
Corona has made the situation even worse
The health insurance company warned that the lockdown phases during the pandemic had made the situation even worse.
The number of obesity cases alone from the pre-Corona year 2019 to 2021 among 6 to 18 year olds increased by 10.7 percent, among 15 to 18 year old boys by 18.7 percent and among those of the same age girls by a good 12 percent.
Homeschooling with hours of sitting in front of the PC, lack of physical education, hardly any meetings with friends, closed sports facilities: "The pandemic with all its contact restrictions has thrown the lives of many children and young people out of balance for a long time and encouraged inactivity," said Aileen Könitz, doctor and Expert for psychiatric questions at the KKH.
"It was a gateway for substitute actions to compensate for frustration, stress and feelings of loneliness."
more on the subject
Children in the Pandemic: "We've Never Seen Weight Gain on This Scale Before" By Katherine Rydlink
Supposed "baby fat": Many parents underestimate their children's overweight
Physical fitness: WHO concerned about Germans who are reluctant to exercise
According to Könitz, this trend is dramatic because the foundations for good health in adulthood are laid in childhood.
If obesity is extreme at a young age, there is a risk of health consequences such as high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia or joint wear and tear.
In addition, life expectancy is reduced.
The consequences of obesity could also upset the psychological balance of children and young people: "Discrimination and bullying because of their body weight are part of everyday life for many of them," says Könitz.
»Experiencing exclusion not only weakens self-esteem and reduces the quality of life, but can also lead to mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression.«
Parents must be good role models
No one should be helplessly at the mercy of the risks of obesity.
The role model of the parents is central to prevention: "Make your child aware of the risks of obesity and personal responsibility for their own health," advises Könitz.
In the fight against unwanted pounds, the most important thing is that children want to change their lifestyle and behavior, work with motivation and are mentally strengthened.
Joisten from the Working Group on Obesity in Childhood, on the other hand, assumes a lasting effect: "The world isn't changing," she said.
Although the pandemic "washed up" the role of digital employment, children's exercise time was bad even before that, and high-calorie foods were already available.
At the same time, she lamented the decline in outpatient therapy centers: “We are not getting care for these children.” She called for the right conclusions to be drawn from the study and for a uniform system of assumption of costs to be set up – so far, health insurance companies have been able to assume the costs, but do not have to.
kry/dpa
