CHILDREN

gained more weight in the first three months of the pandemic than in any other similar period in 15 years, says a new study.

Researchers analysed body mass changes in 270,000 children between March and May 2020, and compared this with the same three months every year since 2005.

Overall, they found children gained up to 40 per cent more in the spring of 2020, against previous years.

Writing in the Journal Of Obesity, the authors described the results as ‘alarming’ and blamed a lack of exercise and more snacking during lockdowns.

While the new research was conducted on German children, previous studies have shown a similar trend in British youngsters.