Impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on obesity, internet addiction, and sleep quality in adolescents

PURPOSE: This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to examine the effects of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on obesity, Internet addiction, and sleep quality in adolescents. METHODS: In this study, data were collected from 395 healthy adolescents using a sociodemographic form, an Internet addiction scale, and a sleep quality scale. Descriptive statistics were analyzed as numbers, percentages, and mean values. The Wilcoxon test was performed to compare the mean body mass index (BMI), Internet addiction, and sleep quality scores of the participants before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The differences were significant at a p value of <0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 15.04 ± 1.81 years, and 53% of them were female. The difference between the mean BMI scores of adolescents before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was significant (p < 0.01). The difference between the mean Internet addiction scale scores of the participants before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was significant (p < 0.01). The difference between the mean sleep quality scale scores before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was also significant (p < 0.01). Approximately 27.1% and 34.9% of the participants were obese before and after COVID-19, respectively. CONCLUSION: The obesity rate, BMI, and Internet addiction levels of children increased, whereas their sleep quality decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: During the pandemic period, online trainings for parents should be organized on planning physical activities during closure periods, regulating the adolescents' sleep and eating habits.