Consequences of COVID-19 on Pediatric Obesity and Endocrinopathies: A Review of the Literature

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children from Kindergarten through 12^th grade in numerous ways. Strategies aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus early on, predominately social distancing and isolation, negatively impacted children’s physical health by limiting access to physical education and facilitating sedentary lifestyles. These negative effects have longstanding implications on the physical health of pediatric patients, and it is especially pertinent to understand these effects during an already alarming pediatric obesity epidemic. As with obesity in adults, obesity in children is associated with numerous endocrine co-morbidities. Through a literature review, this paper aims to go beyond understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the physical health of children and describe how the pandemic may have long-term effects on childhood obesity and endocrinopathies in pediatric patients. Additionally, it describes the direct impact COVID-19 may have on the increased incidence of endocrinopathies in pediatric patients.