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Has the pandemic affected the prevalence of malnutrition?

Zühal Örnek1, Meliha Esra Bilici2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey.

Pediatrics International : Official Journal of the Japan Pediatric Society
|August 7, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Childhood malnutrition, including wasting and obesity, significantly increased post-pandemic. This study highlights the urgent need for interventions to address rising malnutrition rates in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Nutrition Science

Background:

  • Malnutrition poses a significant global health challenge, impacting child mortality and morbidity.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic is suspected to have long-term adverse effects on child nutrition.
  • Pre-pandemic efforts to reduce child malnutrition were insufficient to meet targets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the prevalence of malnutrition in children in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
  • To evaluate changes in anthropometric measurements indicative of malnutrition.
  • To compare findings with historical data and global standards.

Main Methods:

  • Anthropometric measurements were collected from 1815 children (2 months to 18 years).
  • Data was gathered from children visiting a university pediatric outpatient clinic (September 2022-2023).
  • Prevalence rates were compared across age groups and with TDHS-2018, UNICEF/WHO, and other studies.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of wasting was 21.4% and obesity was 13.3% among the studied children.
  • Low weight-for-age was observed in 4.8% of the participants.
  • A statistically significant higher rate of stunting was found in wasted children compared to non-wasted children (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

  • The study indicates an increased prevalence of both wasting and obesity in children following the pandemic.
  • These findings underscore the detrimental impact of the pandemic on pediatric nutritional status.
  • Urgent public health strategies are needed to combat the rise in childhood malnutrition.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID‐19 pandemicmalnutritionobesityprevalencewasting

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