COVID-19 pandemic and nutrition status in children: A bidirectional negative relation

The COVID-19 virus has had a global effect, with almost 300 million confirmed cases by the year 2022. While this has hid mild disease and mortality for cases below the age of 19, this virus has had a multitude of effects on children indirectly, one of the biggest impacts being on their nutritional status.

This pandemic has aggravated malnutrition on both ends of the spectrum. Undernutrition was brought about by poverty, food security, and effects of the disease in decrease nutrient intake, while overnutrition was caused by the decrease in physical activities, and negative changes in food habits.

This lecture by Prof. Sanja Kolaček discusses the latest data on the incidence of malnutrition as an effect of the pandemic, its possible long-term implications, how malnutrition affects the prognosis of COVID-19, and ways to move forward for treatment strategies.