Changes in Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents with Asthma during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Increased weight gain in children during the COVID-19 pandemic has been reported. Changes in weight in children with asthma during this period have not been well described.Methods: Retrospective review of children with asthma, 6-18 years of age, seen in 2019 and 2020. Mean monthly rates of change in body mass index (BMI) were compared between years. Demographic and asthma-related factors were examined.Results: Two hundred sixty-seven patients were enrolled. BMI increased by 0.128 +/- 0.283 kg/m(2)/month during the pandemic year as compared with 0.084 +/- 0.160 kg/m(2)/month during the previous year (P = 0.03). Patients with baseline overweight or obesity trended toward higher rates of BMI increase than those starting with normal weight, with the greatest BMI increase occurring in the severely obese.Conclusions: In this single-site study of children with asthma, there was a greater monthly rate of BMI gain during the early pandemic as compared with that observed in the previous year.