Covid-19 and obesity - the evidence
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our lack of resilience to fight such outbreaks, due to our poor population health, exacerbated by our current food system and unhealthy food and social environments. It has highlighted the importance of driving a focus on improving population diet and weight, in order to build a healthy population in Scotland.
Early research has highlighted a range of factors associated with the severity of COVID-19 such as age, gender, ethnicity and pre-existing conditions. Obesity is also one of these factors. Researchers have found links between having a higher BMI and an increased risk of hospitalisation, more serious complications and, in some studies, death in COVID-19 patients.
In this section you will find information on the evidence between COVID-19 and obesity including the early findings, new evidence and the suggested mechanisms linking obesity to COVID-19 severity, in addition to our Healthy Diet, Healthy Weight and Resilience briefing sheet which highlights the current context in Scotland and proposes recommended actions.
Associated links, blogs, videos and publications
Publications
Obesity and COVID-19 - May 2020
Obesity and COVID-19: an update of the evidence - August 2020
Healthy Diet, Healthy Weight and Resilience - August 2020
Impact of Pandemic Control Measures on Healthy Weight