#lockdown #overweight #obese #adults #children #VirusCasedemic #CDC
“Lots of Americans have spent months sequestered at home binge eating and watching television and gotten fat” — Paul Ebeling
Aa new study found that, on the average, American adults gained nearly 2 lbs a month during a 4-month observational frame. Researchers used measurements from Bluetooth-connected smart scales to calculate their data.
The study was published Monday in JAMA Network Open and linked the weight gain to shelter-in-place or SIP orders issued by 45 out of 50 state governments to stem the tide of the VirusCasedemic during the early surge.
“The initial SIP coincided with an observed decrease in daily step counts, likely reflective of changes in physical activity and patterns of daily living, as well as concurrent self-reported increases in snacking and overeating,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and electrophysiologist at the University of California San Francisco, says that the adults in the study gained more than a 1/2 lb every 10 days which adds up to nearly 2 lbs monthly, according to the Times.
Dr. Marcus, the senior author of the research study, said that Americans who kept up their lockdown habits could have easily gained 20+ lbs over the course of a yr.
“We know that weight gain is a public health problem in the US already, so anything making it worse is definitely concerning, and shelter-in-place orders are so ubiquitous that the sheer number of people affected by this makes it extremely relevant,” Dr. Marcus said.
The 269 study participants were asked to track their weight regularly using Bluetooth-connected smart scales from 1 February 2020 to 1 June 2020. While the study was small it has important implications for the American public and thir health.
The American Psychological Association conducted a survey that supports the findings of the new study. The APA revealed that 42% of the survey participants said they gained unwanted pounds during the VirusCasedemic. On the average, those surveyed said they gained 29 lbs
Even more striking is that the average millennial gained 41 lbs, the highest of any generation. An obesity expert at the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center, called this statistic “alarming.”
Being overweight and/or obese increases the risk of developing more severe COVID-19 disease. Statistics show that 42% of American adults over 20 anni are obese while another 32% of Americans are overweight.
The concern about weight gain also extends to children, who are known to pack on unhealthy pounds during the Summer recess months when they are not in school.
Fully 12% American children are already overweight, according to statistics, and experts fear those numbers will rise due to VirusCasedemic chaos.
Pediatricians are seeing significant weight gain in children because of stress eating, lack of physical exercise, and poor nutrition due to economic hardship and pandemic anxiety.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rates of newly diagnosed cases of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are rising steadily among children and teens.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been studying obesity trends in children, and reported that Black and Latino people and families with low incomes have been disproportionately affected by the VirusCasedemic. Children and teens living in households with incomes below the federal poverty level are 2X as likely to suffer from obesity, according to the foundation.
Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively
