The pandemic has thrust long-standing racial and economic health disparities into bold relief. Americans of color have died from COVID-19 at two to three times the rate of the rest of the population. A primary underlying cause is obesity.
“The fact that obesity has proven to be such a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness and death has the potential to focus more public attention on the need to start doing something about it,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers, in an interview with Stateline.
The effects of obesity account for a large share of the nation’s health care spending, but funding for obesity prevention and control has been inadequate for decades, Plescia said.
At an annual cost to the health care system of $147 billion, obesity affects 42% of adults and 19% of children in the U.S., putting them at higher risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.