- 1 in 5 admit the Coronavirus pandemic has prompted them to try lose weight.
- And half said they would encourage a loved one to lose weight.
As America continues to battle Covid-19, numerous studies have now concluded that obesity may be one of the most important predictors of severe coronavirus illness. This discovery undoubtedly falls harder on the United States than other nations, given that it has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. These studies also show that that obese people of any age, including young adults, are at particular risk. Now that it appears trial Coronavirus vaccines are close to approval, the question remains whether the government should be tackling the underlying factors which lead to serious Coronavirus cases, rather than only treating the virus itself.
MyBioSource.com, a biotechnological products distribution company, polled 3,120 Americans (aged 18+) which revealed that almost one-third (30%) of Arizonans believe the government, either state or federal, should immediately act on campaigns to reduce obesity in the country. Doing so could lower the amount of acute virus cases in the future and help ease the burden on healthcare services. Indeed, other countries have taken preventative steps – in July, the increased Covid-19 risk posed to obese citizens prompted the UK government to crunch down on junk food product advertising and introduce calorie counts to menus in an effort to tackle the country’s obesity pandemic.
Broken down across the country, it was found that Nevadans felt most strongly about the government strategies to lower obesity with 88% agreeing with this. Comparatively, only 1 in 5 (22%) Nebraskans thought this to be necessary.
Infographic showing results across the US
Given the increased risk of complications for obese people, it is reassuring that the survey found that nearly 1 in 5 (18%) Arizonans admit the Coronavirus pandemic has prompted them to try lose weight. Due to many employees working from home during the pandemic, no time spent on a daily commute may mean more minutes to spare on a developing a daily workout routine or preparing healthier meals.
Additionally, over half (59%) said they would encourage an overweight partner, family member or friend to lose weight in order to reduce their risk of complications should they become infected.
However, worryingly, the survey found that over one-third (34%) say they do not believe that there is a clear enough link between obesity and Coronavirus complications.
‘Improving your overall health and fitness levels could be a key factor in reducing your risk of developing complications to do with the Coronavirus. If you are lacking in exercise opportunities due to social distancing regulations, you may want to turn grocery store visits into opportunities to get your body moving. Or, you may want to use the time saved from your daily commute to walk an extra loop around your neighborhood!’ says Dr. Lisa Heiden of MyBioSource.com.
*https://www.bbc.com/news/
**https://www.ama-assn.org/
*** https://www.nytimes.com/2020/
