Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Am J Prev Med

Diet, Safety and Health Economics Branch, Food Economics Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, District of Columbia. Electronic address:

Published: July 2022

Introduction: As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, several studies collected small and relatively homogenous samples to track U.S. adult obesity rates and obesity-related risk factors. In this study, a much larger sample from a nationally representative survey was used to investigate changes in average BMI, obesity prevalence rates, and 4 obesity-related risk factors in the U.S. adult population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Using a large nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged ≥20 years from the 2011-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, linear regression models estimated intra-pandemic changes in average BMI and obesity prevalence rates as well as 4 obesity-related risk factors.

Results: Relative to the 2019 to prepandemic 2020 period, significantly higher average BMI (+0.6%, p<0.05, N=3,555,865) and obesity prevalence rates (+3%, p<0.05, N=3,555,865) were observed among U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Significantly higher rates of any exercise participation (+4.4%, p<0.01, N=3,607,272), average sleep hours in a 24-hour period (+1.5%, p<0.01, N=1,907,798), average alcoholic drink days in the past month (+2.7%, p<0.05, N=3,577,090), and lower rates of smoking at least some days (-4%, p<0.01, N=3,625,180) were also observed.

Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. adult obesity rates were higher and worsened the pre-existing epidemic of adult obesity in the U.S. Higher rates of alcohol consumption and lower smoking rates may have contributed to the higher rates of adult obesity in the U.S during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8977388PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2022.01.012DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

obesity prevalence
12
obesity-related risk
12
average bmi
12
covid-19 pandemic
8
rates obesity-related
8
risk factors
8
nationally representative
8
changes average
8
bmi obesity
8
prevalence rates
8

Similar Publications

Background: Despite potential protective and mitigating effects of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) on poor health outcomes, limited research has identified relevant PCEs and examined their individual and cumulative associations with weight status, or their mitigating effects on the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and obesity in children. This study aims to develop an exploratory PCEs Index with the potential to protect against or mitigate the association between ACEs and unhealthy weight status.

Methods: Data came from the Growing Up in New Zealand study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ethnic and racial discrimination in maternal health care in Mexico: a neglected challenge in the search for universal health coverage.

Int J Equity Health

January 2025

Center for Health Equity in Latin America, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, Louisiana, USA.

Background: Ethnic and racial discrimination in maternal health care has been overlooked in academic literature and yet it is critical for achieving universal health coverage (UHC). There is a lack of empirical evidence on its impact on the effective coverage of maternal health interventions (ECMH) for Indigenous women in Mexico. Documenting progress in reducing maternal health inequities, particularly given the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on ethnic minorities, is essential to improving equity in health systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Staple principles for the definition of front-of-pack nutritional labels.

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis

December 2024

Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; National Committee for Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences (CNBBSV) of the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italy.

Front-of-pack nutrition labels (FOPNLs) have been developed since 1989 to curb the increasing prevalence of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and to promote healthy consumption choices. While several countries have introduced their own labeling schemes on a voluntary basis, the European Commission aims to harmonize a FOPNL system that will be mandatory for all member states. This paper summarizes a contribution to the current debate on FOPNLs from Italian and Spanish researchers working in the fields of human nutrition, nutritional epidemiology and public health education and communication policy before the final decision on FOPNLs to become mandatory in Europe is taken.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Backgrounds And Aim: To prospectively evaluate the associations between changes in (poly)phenol intake, body weight(BW), and physical activity(PA) with changes in an inflammatory score after 1-year.

Methods And Results: This is a prospective observational analysis involving 484 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus with available inflammatory measurements. (Poly)phenol intake was estimated using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and the Phenol-Explorer database.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Low trunk muscle mass could predict severe stress urinary incontinence in Asian women.

Geriatr Gerontol Int

January 2025

Department of Urology, College of Medicine and Shu-Tien Urological Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Aim: Adequate pelvic floor support for the urethra is crucial for preventing stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Obesity is an established risk factor for SUI. This study aimed to explore the relationship between SUI and body composition, specifically focusing on muscle and fat mass.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!