According to a new study published Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is a major factor in the severity of a COVID-19 diagnosis.
The CDC found that nearly 51 percent of the 148,494 adults in 238 hospitals diagnosed with COVID-19 were overweight and nearly 28 percent were overweight.
Overweight is defined as a body mass index of 25 or more, while obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or more.
Just over 42 percent of the U.S. population was considered obese in 2018, according to the most recent data from the CDC.
Overweight and / or obesity were risk factors for invasive mechanical ventilation, and obesity was a risk factor for hospitalization and death, especially among adults under age 65, the CDC said.
The CDC study found that the risk of hospitalizations, admissions and deaths on ICUs was lowest among individuals with a BMI below 25. As BMI increased, the risk of serious illness “increased sharply”, especially among 65 years and older, the agency said.
The CDC has recommended that if clinicians develop care plans for COVID-19 patients, they should consider the risk of serious outcomes in patients with higher BMIs, especially for those with severe obesity
The agency said the findings highlight the “clinical and public health implications” of higher BMIs, including the promotion of COVID-19 prevention strategies such as continued prioritization and vaccination masking, and policies to ensure community access to nutrition and physical activity that promote and support. a healthy BMI. ‘
The CDC said that promoting a healthy BMI could be particularly important for populations excessively affected by obesity, especially Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic black adults, as well as people in low-income households, who are also likely to will have worse results from COVID-. 19 compared to other populations.