# The Impact of Covid-19 Related School Closures on Children's Weight Status

> **NIH NIH R01** · RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL/HEALTH SCIENCES-RBHS · 2020 · $796,525

## Abstract

Project Summary
 The proposed project has two aims: 1) to assess the short and long-term impact of school closures
mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ weight status, and 2) to examine the mitigating potential of
child-targeted food assistance programs implemented during the closures. While there is some evidence that
interruptions in school during summer recess result in weight gain among children in elementary grades, we
have little basis for predicting the effects of a hiatus of unprecedented length, 6 months or more posed by the
coronavirus. Pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the USDA extended the summer
feeding program to deliver meals to children during the pandemic-related school closures; the USDA also
authorized emergency food assistance through Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards for out-of-school
children who qualify for school meals programs. While summer meals have been provided in the past to some
students through summer meals programs, research establishing the adequacy of these programs in
addressing weight status is lacking. To address the study aims, we will collect and analyze nurse-measured
heights and weights data on children attending 120 public schools serving low-income children in New Jersey.
Interrupted times series analyses will be applied to data collected prior to school closures, during four school
years (SY) between 2013-14 and 2019-20 (approximately 30,000 students per year); and an additional two
school years post-closure, one coinciding with the re-opening of schools (SY2020-21) and the other two years
later (SY2022-23). For the same school years, we will incorporate, as covariates, annual data on school food
and physical activity (PA) environments that have been found to be associated with weight status, as well as
measures of the surrounding food and PA environment known to affect obesity rates. New data on operation
and reach of the two federal, child-targeted food assistance programs in school catchment areas over the
course of school closures will be collected to establish the mitigating potential of these programs. The
proposed study will make a unique contribution to our understanding of the long-term effects of a key
dimension of federal obesity policy affecting some thirty million predominantly low-income children – provision
of free and reduced priced school meals. As such, the findings will be critical to our readiness to respond to
future disasters and to our efforts to assure the adequacy of the food safety net.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10188941
- **Project number:** 1R01HD104708-01
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL/HEALTH SCIENCES-RBHS
- **Principal Investigator:** Punam Ohri-Vachaspati
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $796,525
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-21 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10188941

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10188941, The Impact of Covid-19 Related School Closures on Children's Weight Status (1R01HD104708-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10188941. Licensed CC0.

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