The State of the Summer: a Review of Child Summer Weight Gain and Efforts to Prevent It
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Purpose of review Accumulating evidence shows that children in the USA gain weight more rapidly during the summer, when school is not in session. This narrative review spanning 2007 to 2017 summarizes efforts to characterize the problem, identify key determinants, and intervene to prevent excess summer weight gain.Recent findings Summer weight gain remains a concern for elementary-age youth. Few studies have examined its determinants, but unfavorable summertime shifts in diet, physical activity, sedentary time, screen media use, and sleep have been reported. Increased structure is thought to protect against summer weight gain. Interventions to support physical activity and nutrition during the summer show promise, though large-scale impact on weight outcomes remains to be seen. Supporting health behaviors during the summer remains a priority for obesity prevention researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Strategies to expand access to structured programs and reach beyond such programs to improve behaviors at home are of particular importance.
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Children tend to gain more weight over the summer, especially children who are not enrolled in structured summer camps and activities.
“Also, children tend to gain more weight over the summer, especially children who are not enrolled in structured summer camps and activities [20–23].”
From Early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and sedentary behavior in children living in the U.S. (2020) · cites this paper as [21]
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- Authors
- Tanskey, L. A., Goldberg, J., Chui, K., Must, A., & Sacheck, J.
- Affiliations
- North Carolina State University (US)
- Tufts University (US)
- George Washington University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tanskey, Lindsay A.
- Venue
- Current Obesity Reports
- Published
- 2018-04-11
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 112-121
- ISSN
- 2162-4968 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6857933
- OpenAlex
- W2801783007
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 0.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Current Obesity Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD080180)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- summer weight gain, childhood obesity, obesity prevention, physical activity, sedentary behavior, screen media use, sleep, diet, structured programs, elementary school students
- MeSH terms
- Healthy Lifestyle, Diet, Healthy, Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Child, Child Behavior, Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, Humans, Leisure Activities, Risk, Seasons, Sleep, Weight Gain, Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, Evidence-Based Medicine, Overweight, Weight Reduction Programs, Pediatric Obesity
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