CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nearly one-fifth of West Virginia children are obese, as experts link obesity to increased risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms.
According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) latest report released Wednesday, State of Childhood Obesity: Prioritizing Children’s Health During the Pandemic, 19.6% of children between the ages of 10 and 17 in the Mountain State are obese. That rate is 7th highest in the country.
“West Virginia, the rate of childhood obesity for kids between the ages of 10 and 17 is 19.6 percent. That is in comparison to the around 15 percent national average,” Jamie Bussel, Senior Program Officer, Childhood Obesity Lead at RWJF told MetroNews.
The national obesity rate for this age group is 15.5 percent, meaning roughly one in seven youth have obesity, according to RWJF study.
RWJF stated that merging research links obesity with increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including among children. Evidence from other vaccines leads some to predict that a COVID-19 vaccine may be less effective among those with underlying medical conditions, including obesity.
“The COVID pandemic is making it harder for families to find and afford healthy food. Early research is showing that obesity also puts people at greater risk for COVID and for more severe symptoms of COVID,” Bussel said.
Bussel noted that school closures and online learning leave millions of children without a regular source of healthy meals or physical activity. The same goes for millions of caregivers have lost income or jobs, making it difficult for families to access or afford healthy foods or any foods at all, according to a news release.
VIEW: West Virginia report of childhood obesity
Bussel also said the report revealed that racial, ethnic, and economic disparities persist in childhood obesity. Black, Hispanic, and Native American children have significantly higher obesity rates than White or Asian children. The data showed that obesity rates were significantly higher for Hispanic (20.7%), non-Hispanic Black (22.9%), non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (28.5%), and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (39.8%) children.
Young people in households making less than the federal poverty level are more than twice as likely to have obesity as those at the top of the income ladder, according to the report.
Policy recommendations include changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.
RWJF recommends raising the maximum SNAP benefit level by at least 15 percent per participant for the duration of the economic downturn. It also states that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congress should ensure that the relevant waivers remain in place for as long as needed and that states and WIC offices have the technical support they need to continue to serve families.
WIC has been able to change some of the ways it operates in order to support families safely, according to RWJF. Those flexibilities nearly expired in September but were recently extended.
“We are aiming to strengthen and modernize the flagship federal nutrition programs in this country. Programs such as SNAP, WIC and school meals. We call for specific changes in SNAP and WIC,” Bussel said.
The data are included in State of Childhood Obesity: Prioritizing Children’s Health During the Pandemic, a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The report, available at www.stateofchildhoodobesity.org.
The obesity rate data come from the 2018-19 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), along with analysis conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
In September, a report from Trust for America’s Health listed only Mississippi, at 40.8 percent, higher than West Virginia, at 39.7 percent, for obesity among adults.