Changes in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Peruvian Children under Five Years before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a Nationwide Population-Based Study

Oral Health Service Use in Older Peruvians Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this work was to analyse inequalities in oral health services utilisation (OHSU) in older Peruvian adults through comparative analysis of the years 2019 and 2021.

METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the 2019 and 2021 Demographic and Health Survey (ENDES). The outcome variable was OHSU by older Peruvian adults in the past year. We used Poisson generalised linear models adjusted for age and sex to assess changes in OHSU by sociodemographic characteristics. The Erreygers concentration index was used to describe the socioeconomic inequalities in OHSU. The contribution of each variable to inequalities was estimated by a decomposition analysis.

RESULTS

In 2021, OHSU probability amongst older Peruvian adults decreased by 37% compared to 2019. The decline was greatest in those aged 80 or older (51%), the lowest wealth quintile (47%), those with functional limitations (53%), and those whose native language is Quechua or other indigenous languages (47%). Surprisingly, we observed a reduction in OHSU inequalities (difference: -0.1074; P = .003) during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly amongst rural residents (difference: -0.0771; P = .030), the lowest wealth quintile (difference: -0.0764; P = .020), and those with functional limitations (difference: -0.3665; P < .001). Poverty accounted for 73% of the inequality in 2021.

CONCLUSIONS

The probability of OHSU has significantly decreased likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Paradoxically, we observed a reduction in OHSU inequalities during the pandemic, despite the known socioeconomic impact. However, further research is required to gain deeper understanding of this phenomenon.

Pediatric overweight and obesity increased in Israel during the COVID-19 period

Reports from many settings suggest that pediatric overweight and obesity increased in 2020 and 2021, presumably due to lifestyle changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these previous reports have relied on convenience samples or subsets of the population. Here, we present results of a longitudinal study of the entire population of Israel, a nation of approximately 9 million people, with the proportion with underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity at age 7 and at age 14-15, across the years 2017-2021. Our results show that the prevalence of overweight and obesity, which had been steady or improving through 2019, increased relatively quickly in 2020 and 2021. For example, among 7-year-olds, the percentage of children with obesity in 2019 was 6.8% (99% CI: 6.69-7.05), and by 2021, it had increased to 7.7% (99% CI: 7.53-7.93). There were important disparities in overweight and obesity based on SES; for example, the rate ratio for obesity comparing the poorest with the wealthiest 14-15-year-olds in 2019 was 1.63 (99% CI: 1.55-1.72). However, these disparities did not change meaningfully in 2020 and 2021, implying that while obesity did become more prevalent, this increase in prevalence was not differential across socioeconomic status. Like many other nations, Israel too experienced considerable increases in pediatric overweight and obesity in 2020-2021, erasing the improvements of the previous years among younger children.