A comparative analysis of adolescent body measurements changes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A study of 16–19-year-olds using anthropometric data

This study examined changes in body measurements among Korean adolescents aged 16–19 before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, using Size Korea data from 2015 and 2023. A total of 245 participants from each year (2015: n = 245; 2023: n = 245) were matched by age and sex to ensure comparability. Thirty-five anthropometric variables were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and two-way ANOVA to assess differences by year and sex. The results revealed significant structural changes characterized by an upper-body–centered shift in morphology, with notable increases in chest breadth and depth, waist and abdominal circumferences, and upper-arm girth. While height increased overall, arm and thigh lengths showed significant decreases, indicating restricted limb growth alongside torso-dominant development. Chi-square analyses further revealed significant post-pandemic shifts in BMI distributions, with a decrease in the proportion of normal-weight adolescents and an increase in overweight and obesity, particularly among males. Sex-specific differences were also evident: male adolescents experienced greater increases in torso breadths, depths, and body weight, whereas females showed marked gains in chest, waist, and hip circumferences with relatively stable BMI. These findings suggest that lifestyle disruptions during the pandemic, such as reduced physical activity and increased sedentary behavior, contributed not only to weight gain but also to altered body proportions that were not fully captured by BMI alone.