Close-up of a woman on scales in medical practice. | Getty Images
Overweight people are more likely to die or become hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 and lockdown restrictions on treatments for obesity, such as physical activity, made health outcomes worse for people struggling with the disease, according to a new report from the World Obesity Federation.
The report, released this month, highlighted data from several countries ringing the alarm on the risks associated with being overweight, including studies conducted in China, the U.S., U.K., Spain, France, Sweden, Italy, Kuwait, Brazil and Mexico.
“As we show in this report, increased bodyweight is the second greatest predictor of hospitalization and a high risk of death for people suffering from COVID-19. Only old age rates as a higher risk factor. The unprecedented economic costs of COVID-19 are largely due to the measures taken to avoid the excess hospitalization and need for treatment of the disease,” President of the World Obesity Federation, John Wilding, and Chief Executive Johanna Ralston wrote in a foreword for COVID-19 and Obesity: The 2021 Atlas.