About 78% of people who were hospitalized, needed a ventilator or died of COVID-19 were overweight or obsessed, according to a new study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The report tracked more than 148,000 American adults who were diagnosed with COVID-19 during an emergency department or visiting an inpatient in 238 U.S. hospitals between March and December 2020. Of these adults, more than 28% were with overweight, while 50% were obese.
The CDC says that most people hospitalized with COVID-19 last year were obese.
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The CDC defines overweight as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more and obese is defined as having a BMI above 30.
The report found that the risks of hospitalizations, ICU admission and death were lower for people with a BMI below 25.
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The CDC urged doctors who deal with patients with COVID-19 to develop care plans that “consider the risk of serious outcomes in patients with a higher BMI, especially for those with severe obesity.”
“These findings highlight the clinical and public health implications of higher BMI, including the need for intensive management of COVID-19 disease as the severity of obesity increases, promotion of COVID-19 prevention strategies, including continued prioritization and masking of vaccines and policies to ensure community access to nutrition and physical activities that promote and support a healthy BMI, “said the CDC report.
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According to the CDC, the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. increased from about 30% to 42% between 1999 and 2018.