en public specific orginal article <div style="text-align: justify;">Childhood obesity can affect life in three aspects, including continuing obesity after childhood, increased risk of chronic diseases, and mortality. Over the last year, students&#39; lifestyles have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to plan educational interventions to improve students&#39; health, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity among elementary students during COVID-19 pandemic in Yazd, Iran. <strong>Methods:</strong> This cross-sectional study was conducted on 583 elementary students in 4^th-6^th grades (aged 10-12 years) in Yazd in 2021. The participants were recruited using multistage sampling (cluster, stratified, and random) method. Data collection tools included the physical activity questionnaire for older children (PAQ-C) and a validated researcher-made questionnaire in terms of fast food and carbonated sweet beverages consumption. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the students&rsquo; height and weight information registered in student electronic registration system (SANAD).&nbsp; <strong>Results:</strong> The prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school students was 23.9% and 14.5%, respectively. Gender (<em>P</em> < 0.0001), type of school (<em>P</em> < 0.0001), mother&rsquo;s education level (<em>P</em> = 0.03), amount of carbonated sweet beverages (<em>P</em> < 0.0001), and level of physical activity (<em>P</em> = 0.04) were associated with BMI status. There was no significant association between frequency of students&rsquo; consumption of fast food (<em>P</em> = 0.41) or soft drinks and BMI status (<em>P</em> = 0.48). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> During the COVID-19 outbreak, students&rsquo; weight gain has been more affected by reducing physical activity than consuming high-calorie foods. Therefore, it is required to create new infrastructure and opportunities for improving physical activity among students.<br> &nbsp;</div> Students, Obesity, COVID-19, Pandemic 99 107 http://jnfs.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-398-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Akram Mehrabbeik 0000-0002-7088-3545 No Diabetes Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran. Maryam Askari 0000-0002-8422-8293 No Genetic and Environmental Adventures Research Center, School of Abarkouh Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Hassan Mozaffari-Khosravi 0000-0002-3513-1778 No Diabetes Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran. Nasim Namiranian namiranian.nasim@gmail.com 0000-0002-5133-6204 Yes Diabetes Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Seied Mohammadreza Aghaee Meybody 0000-0001-7237-515X No Diabetes Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran