The death rate from COVID-19 is much higher in countries where the majority of adults are overweight, according to a new report.
The World Obesity Forum determined that, by the end of 2020, the mortality rate from the coronavirus was about 10 times greater in countries where more than 50% of the adult population is overweight compared with nations where less than half of adult residents met that criteria, the study released Wednesday shows.
Included in the study was data from more than 160 countries, researchers said.
“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,” the report reads. “Only old age rates as a higher risk factor.”
There have been more than 2.5 million deaths worldwide from COVID-19, including more than 500,000 fatalities from the virus in the United States, which is the most of any country.
Globally, there have been more than 115 million confirmed cases of coronavirus.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people with obesity are at an increased risk of experiencing severing illness from COVID-19.
In its new report, the World Obesity Forum stressed the need to recognize “overweight as a major risk factor for infectious diseases including respiratory viruses.”
“To prevent pandemic health crises in future requires action now: we call on all readers to support the World Obesity Federation’s call for stronger, more resilient economies that prioritize investment in people’s health,” the report says.
