Perspective paper alerting researchers and lay public that COVID-19 school closings are likely to mimic the effects of school summer recess and increase the risk for childhood obesity. The project is now transitioning to a research effort to test the hypothesis that the school closings with increase behaviors linked to childhood obesity. In many areas of the U.S., the COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools and some of these school systems are not expected to re-open this school year. The experiences in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore suggest that social distancing orders, if lifted after short periods, will have to be periodically re-instated to control COVID-19 flare ups. In short, we anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely double out-of-school time this year for many children in the U.S. and will exacerbate the risk factors for weight gain associated with summer recess.
