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Accelerated Weight Gain Among Children During Summer Versus School Year and Related Racial/Ethnic Disparities: A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to compile and summarize research examining variations in weight gain among students during the summer in comparison to the school year, with a focus on racial/ethnic disparities and students who are at risk of overweight. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed and Embase was conducted. Reference lists of identified articles and Google Scholar were also reviewed. Studies that assessed summer weight gain in school children were included. Inclusion criteria were: 1) a focus on children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 attending school; 2) a measured body composition before and after the summer vacation; 3) English-language articles; and 4) publication in a peer-reviewed journal since January 1, 1990. Data were extracted from selected studies in the following categories: study purpose, setting, study design, population, sample size, data collection method, and findings. RESULTS: Seven eligible studies were included in the review. Six of the 7 studies reported accelerated summer weight gain for at least a portion of the study population, with an effect of summer on weight gain identified for the following subgroups: black, Hispanic, and overweight children and adolescents. CONCLUSION: There may be a trend in increased rate of weight gain during summer school vacation, particularly for high-risk groups, including certain racial/ethnic populations and overweight children and adolescents. Potential solutions for the problem of accelerated summer weight gain include greater access to recreational facilities, physical activity programming, and summer food programs. Further research in this area is needed as summer weight gain may exacerbate existing health disparities.
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“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 [20]
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US Department of Agriculture Summer Meals Program
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“Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer among certain racial/ethnic populations and children who are overweight.(4) The summer has other understudied impacts on children's developmental trajectories and wellbeing that likely disproportionately affect high-risk children.”
BackgroundTHE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG ADULT RUSSIANS
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State school catering in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study
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Pankova, N. B., Alchinova, I. B., Kovaleva, O. I., Lebedeva, M. A., Khlebnikova, N. N., Cherepov, A. B., Noskin, L. A., & Karganov, M. Y. (2020) · Science for Education Today · doi:10.15293/2658-6762.2003.11 · Cited by 2
“Такой вариант наиболее характерен для представителей ряда национальностей [15], и при наличии ожирения [17].”
The Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Puberty: A cross-sectional, Multicenter Study from TurkeyPreprint
Mutlu, G. Y., Eviz, E., Haliloğlu, B., Kırmızıbekmez, H., Dursun, F., Özalkak, Ş., Çayır, A., Sacli, B. Y., Özbek, M. N., Demirbilek, H., et al. (2022) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1697112/v1 · Cited by 2
Kıraç, C. C., & Bilir, P. (2024) · Dicle Medical Journal / Dicle Tip Dergisi · doi:10.5798/dicletip.1451710 · Cited by 1
Home environment factors associated with child BMI changes during COVID-19 pandemic
McCabe, C. F., Wood, G. C., Welk, G. J., Cook, A., Hosterman, J. F., & Bailey-Davis, L. D. (2024) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-024-01634-2 · Cited by 1
“Where the early pandemic was marked by substantial ‘out of school time’ with accelerated BMI, resembling trends often associated with summer break [14, 18], the later pandemic saw the restoration of not only reliable sources of physical activity for children, but also for nutritious meals [19].”
BackgroundTan, Q., Son, P., Nie, Y., Yang, P., Staiano, A. E., Wang, F., Shepherd, D. C., Queen, K., Gordon, S., & Chen, S. (2026) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2026.1914161 · Cited by 1
Prochnow, T. M., Patterson, M. S., & Meyer, M. R. U. (2022) · Journal of Children s Services · doi:10.1108/jcs-10-2021-0039 · Cited by 1
An Impact of COVID-19 a Well-Being Perspective for a New World
Jahan, T. (2022) · Lecture notes in networks and systems · doi:10.1007/978-981-19-2940-3_17 · Cited by 1
The Assessment of School Lunches in the Form of Food Packs during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latvia
Beitāne, I., & Īriste, S. (2022) · Children · doi:10.3390/children9101459 · Cited by 1
“This could be the cause of malnutrition among pupils as studies have shown that children are at greater risk of malnutrition during the summer period when schools are closed [16], and pupils have unhealthier eating habits, which in turn increases the risk of weight gain [17].”
BackgroundPlate Waste in USDA Summer Food Service Program Open Sites: Results from the Project SWEAT Sub-Study
Hopkins, L. C., Webster, A., Kennel, J. A., Banna, J. C., Bearden, D., Finn, J., & Gunther, C. W. (2023) · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · doi:10.1080/19320248.2023.2245783 · Cited by 1
“Not only are children at risk for hunger during the summer months, but also, they are at risk for declines in diet quality(11) and overall health, specifically unhealthy changes in weight status.(13,14,31) Serving foods that are healthy and liked by children may reduce food waste and support overall child nutritional…”
BackgroundSeasonal variability in body mass index, waist circumference, and skinfolds in Norwegian children
Moen, O. K., Júlíusson, P. B., Roelants, M., & Spielau, U. (2024) · American Journal of Human Biology · doi:10.1002/ajhb.24084 · Cited by 1
“The weight gain associated with summer vacation is thought to be associated with the change of routine in the school year to everyday life during the summer holiday (Bhutani et al., 2018; Franckle et al., 2014; Mor-eno et al., 2015; Tanskey et al., 2018).”
Influential"Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Obesity in Children and Adolescents"
Mado, H. (2021) · Open Access Journal of Biomedical Science · doi:10.38125/oajbs.000321 · Cited by 1
“The results of the above studies seem to be in agreement with the hypothesis that the risk of childhood obesity is increased in the outof-school months [3,15,23,24].”
ResultImpact of COVID-19 on Well-Being and Physical Activity in Ugandan Children With and Without HIV
Milad, M., Karungi, C. K., Sattar, A., Musiime, V., Nazzinda, R., McComsey, G. A., & Dirajlal‐Fargo, S. (2022) · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · doi:10.1123/jpah.2022-0061 · Cited by 1
Opportunities for Healthy Learning as a Social Determinant of Health
Moore, J. B., Hill, S. R., & Weaver, R. G. (2019) · Journal of Public Health Management and Practice · doi:10.1097/phh.0000000000001089 · Cited by 1
“For example, obesity in youth is negatively associated with academic attainment(3) and traditional summer breaks are associated with increased weight gain,(4) especially in racial and ethnic minority students.(5) This health disparity compounds known academic declines experienced by youth over the summer, which may ex…”
BackgroundIt's a Cruel Summer: Household Responses to Reductions in Government Nutrition Assistance
Almada, L., & McCarthy, I. (2017) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w23633 · Cited by 1
Ward, A. K. (2015) · Loyola eCommons (Loyola University of Chicago)
Strategies to Combat Sexual Violence: The Need for a Menu of Informed Choices
Calkins, C., & Jeglic, E. L. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-44504-5_18
Lynch, M. (2017) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315268811-2
Nurse and Teacher Led Adolescent Healthy Weight Classes to Improve Health Behaviors
Dupart, G. (2019) · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · doi:10.17615/knts-va95
COVID-19 related home confinement: A dual concern for children and adolescents?
Banna, M. H. A., & Akter, S. (2020) · Population Medicine · doi:10.18332/popmed/122453
Sasayama, K., Hikihara, Y., & Adachi, M. (2020) · Japan Journal of Human Growth and Development Research · doi:10.5332/hatsuhatsu.2020.88_22
Cater, M. W., Kean, A., & Sasser, D. D. (2015) · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · doi:10.54718/rnjw6530
“The most compelling argument to emerge in recent meta-analyses was that children do not generalize increased PA to other settings outside of school (Baranowski et al., 2014; Franckle et al., 2014; McCue et al., 2013).”
BackgroundNiños Sanos, Familia Sana: Lesson Plans, Year 1, Focus on Family Foods
Kaiser, L. L., Aguilera, A., Silva, J., Horowitz, M., Lamp, C. L., Johns, M., Espinoza, D. M., Byrnes, M., Ontai, L., & Rios, D. I. (2019) · doi:10.3733/ucanr.8583
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on BMI in Children and Adolescents: A Retrospective Cohort StudyPreprint
Nasir, A. K., High, R., & Nasir, L. (2021) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-789831/v1
Pankova, N. B. (2021) · Nauchno-prakticheskii zhurnal «Patogenez» · doi:10.25557/2310-0435.2021.01.60-70
Sağsak, E., & Aycan, Z. (2021) · Pamukkale Medical Journal · doi:10.31362/patd.1006123
Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on BMI in Children and Adolescents: A Retrospective Cohort StudyPreprint
Nasir, A. K., High, R., & Nasir, L. (2021) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3894918
Metadata
- Authors
- Franckle, R., Adler, R., & Davison, K.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Franckle, Rebecca
- Venue
- Preventing Chronic Disease
- Published
- 2014-06-12
- Volume
- 11
- Pages
- E101-E101
- ISSN
- 1545-1151 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4060873
- OpenAlex
- W2118618578
- Cited by
- 230
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 1.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- public-domain
- Locations
- Preventing Chronic Disease (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (T32DK007703)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- summer weight gain, summer vacation, elementary school students, racial and ethnic disparities, childhood obesity, overweight children, body composition, health disparities, physical activity, recreational facilities
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Body Composition, Child, Child, Preschool, Humans, Risk Factors, Schools, Seasons, United States, Weight Gain, Overweight, Health Status Disparities
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