The Impact of Covid-19 Related School Closures on Children's Weight Status

项目摘要 拟议的项目有两个目标：1）评估学校关闭的短期和长期影响 COVID-19大流行对学生体重状况的强制要求，以及2）检查 在关闭期间实施的针对儿童的粮食援助方案。虽然有证据表明， 在暑假期间中断学校导致小学生体重增加，我们 没有什么基础来预测一个前所未有的长度，6个月或更长的中断所造成的影响， 冠状病毒。根据《家庭第一冠状病毒应对法》，美国农业部延长了夏季 在与流行病有关的学校关闭期间为儿童提供膳食的供餐计划;美国农业部还 通过大流行病电子福利转移卡为校外提供授权的紧急粮食援助 符合学校膳食计划的儿童。虽然过去曾向一些人提供夏季膳食， 学生通过夏季膳食计划，研究建立这些方案的充分性， 缺乏对体重状况的处理。为达研究目的，本研究将收集并分析护理人员所测得之 在新泽西，120所公立学校为低收入家庭的孩子提供身高和体重的数据。 中断时间序列分析将应用于学校关闭前收集的数据， 2013-14年至2019-20年（每年约30，000名学生）;以及另外两个 关闭后的学年，一个与学校重新开放（SY 2020 -21）重合，另两年 后来（SY 2022 -23）。对于同一学年，我们将纳入学校食品的年度数据作为协变量 和身体活动（PA）环境，已被发现与体重状况，以及 测量周围的食物和PA环境已知会影响肥胖率。关于业务的新数据 两个联邦针对儿童的食品援助计划在学校集水区的覆盖范围 将收集关闭学校的课程，以确定这些方案的缓解潜力。的 拟议的研究将为我们理解一个关键的长期影响做出独特的贡献。 联邦肥胖症政策影响到大约三千万主要是低收入儿童的方面-规定 免费和减价的学校餐。因此，调查结果对我们是否准备好应对 我们的努力是为了确保食品安全网的充分性。

Project Summary The proposed project has two aims: 1) to assess the short and long-term impact of school closures mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ weight status, and 2) to examine the mitigating potential of child-targeted food assistance programs implemented during the closures. While there is some evidence that interruptions in school during summer recess result in weight gain among children in elementary grades, we have little basis for predicting the effects of a hiatus of unprecedented length, 6 months or more posed by the coronavirus. Pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the USDA extended the summer feeding program to deliver meals to children during the pandemic-related school closures; the USDA also authorized emergency food assistance through Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards for out-of-school children who qualify for school meals programs. While summer meals have been provided in the past to some students through summer meals programs, research establishing the adequacy of these programs in addressing weight status is lacking. To address the study aims, we will collect and analyze nurse-measured heights and weights data on children attending 120 public schools serving low-income children in New Jersey. Interrupted times series analyses will be applied to data collected prior to school closures, during four school years (SY) between 2013-14 and 2019-20 (approximately 30,000 students per year); and an additional two school years post-closure, one coinciding with the re-opening of schools (SY2020-21) and the other two years later (SY2022-23). For the same school years, we will incorporate, as covariates, annual data on school food and physical activity (PA) environments that have been found to be associated with weight status, as well as measures of the surrounding food and PA environment known to affect obesity rates. New data on operation and reach of the two federal, child-targeted food assistance programs in school catchment areas over the course of school closures will be collected to establish the mitigating potential of these programs. The proposed study will make a unique contribution to our understanding of the long-term effects of a key dimension of federal obesity policy affecting some thirty million predominantly low-income children – provision of free and reduced priced school meals. As such, the findings will be critical to our readiness to respond to future disasters and to our efforts to assure the adequacy of the food safety net.