Corona is leaving its mark on medical treatment data – with more cases of obesity and mental illness among girls. For a study, the data of 142,000 children and adolescents from North Rhine-Westphalia were evaluated before and after the pandemic.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – According to a study, the corona pandemic has consequences especially for girls between the ages of 15 and 17. According to a study by the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit, they suffer significantly more often from depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders and obesity than before the corona virus. About a third more girls between the ages of 15 and 17 were treated for an eating disorder and a fifth more for an anxiety disorder in 2021.
According to the health insurance company, this emerges from their 2022 child and youth report for North Rhine-Westphalia. For this purpose, outpatient and inpatient treatment data of 142,000 children and adolescents from 2021 were examined and compared with the situation before the pandemic in 2019. Accordingly, in 2021 doctor visits, hospital stays and drug prescriptions decreased overall.
According to the health insurance company, there has been a significant increase in cases of obesity among elementary school students and older boys. Klaus Overdiek, head of the state representation of the fund, spoke of a “dramatic development in our children and young people” and warned of the long-term consequences.
