When the COVID-19 pandemic collides with the obesity epidemic in the United States: a national survey.

Autor: Kissin R; Communication Partners and Associates, New York, New York., Khoury L; National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois., Wallenborn G; Prisma Health Upstate, Greenville, South Carolina., Kothari SN; Prisma Health Upstate, Greenville, South Carolina. Electronic address: Shanu.Kothari@prismahealth.org.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery [Surg Obes Relat Dis] 2023 May; Vol. 19 (5), pp. 434-439. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Mar 09.
DOI: 10.1016/j.soard.2023.02.020
Abstrakt: Background: COVID-19 has disrupted life and put a spotlight on obesity as a risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Five years ago, we performed a survey exploring ways Americans view obesity and its treatment. We repeated the survey in the COVID-19 era to explore the impact of this once-in-a-century public health crisis on public perception and behavior surrounding obesity.
Objective: To explore if America's views on obesity have changed after more than 2 years of living through COVID-19.
Setting: The national survey was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) from December 10 to 28, 2021.
Methods: We revisited some of the questions posed in a survey 5 years ago and added questions asking whether COVID-19 has changed views on obesity. We surveyed 1714 Americans sampled from a probability-based, nationally representative panel. Responses of Americans to questions about obesity were compared with the same or similar questions asked 5 years ago.
Results: COVID-19 has led to a change in how Americans view risks of obesity and benefits of treatment. Nearly one third (29%) of Americans became more worried about having obesity, and this is more pervasive among Black and Hispanic Americans (45%). This heightened concern led an estimated 28 million people to explore treatments not considered before the pandemic, including 6.4 million who thought about bariatric surgery or taking prescription obesity drugs.
Conclusions: COVID-19 may have heightened Americans' worry about obesity. This may present an opportunity for conversations about treatments, including metabolic surgery.
(Copyright © 2023 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE