The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on people with obesity as they struggle to manage their weight and mental health during shelter-in-place orders, according to research led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and UT Southwestern.
The study, published today in the journal Clinical Obesity, surveyed 123 weight management patients at the UT Southwestern Weight Wellness Program and a community bariatric surgery practice.
“Everyone was told to stay home to protect themselves from infection and this was especially important for people with severe obesity, who are more likely to have serious complications and higher risk of death with the coronavirus,” said Sarah Messiah, PhD, MPH, the study’s senior author and professor of epidemiology, human genetics, and environmental sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health in Dallas. “But these are also patients who often have comorbidities such as heart disease and diabetes that need consistent care. This was the first assessment of this patient population to see the effects of the upheaval of their daily lives on their health behavior and well-being.”
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The Journal Clinical Obesity link:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...
A British Medical Journal related article:
Non communicable diseases and covid-19: a perfect storm:
