Changes in the body composition of boys aged 11-18 years due to COVID-19 measures in the Czech Republic

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 22; no. 1; p. 2254
• Main Authors: Kutac, P, Bunc, V, Sigmund, M, Buzga, M, Krajcigr, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 03.12.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Atrophy, Muscular; Bioelectricity; Body Composition; Body fat; Body mass; Child; Communicable Disease Control; Constrictions; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Czech Republic - epidemiology; Evaluation; Exercise; Fat-free body mass; Fat-free mass; Health aspects; Humans; Male; Medical examination; Muscles; Physical activity; Physical activity restriction; Physical education; Physical fitness; Physiological aspects; Prevention; Public health; Risk factors; Skeletal muscle; Skeletal muscle mass; Teenage boys; Teenagers; Viral diseases; Visceral fat; Czech Republic; Visceral fat; Fat-free mass; Physical activity restriction; Body fat; Body mass; Skeletal muscle mass
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14605-8

The lockdown measures related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) impacted the health of adolescents by reducing physical activity (PA). The physical changes in response to decreases in PA can be measured with full body composition analysis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term PA restrictions on body fat (BF), fat-free mass (FFM) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) in adolescents. A total of 1669 boys (before PA restriction (G1): 998; after PA restrictions ended (G2): 671; between the ages of 11 and 18 were included. The measured parameters were body mass (BM), visceral fat area (VFA), BF, FFM and SMM. The whole-body composition was evaluated using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Compared to G1, G2 exhibited an increase in BF between 1.2 and 5.1%. This difference was significant in boys aged 13 to 18 years (p < 0.05). VFA increased between 5.3 and 20.5 cm ; this increase was significant in boys aged 13 to 18 years (p < 0.05). SMM decreased between 2.6 and 3.8%, and this decrease was significant in all age groups (p < 0.05). Changes in body composition were not accompanied by any significant changes in BM. COVID-19 restrictions reduced PA, resulting in a significant decrease in SMM. This decrease may impact boys' ability to engage in sufficiently varied PA, which may lead to a further decline in PA and subsequent medical consequences in adulthood.