CDC study finds 78% of people hospitalized for Covid were overweight or obese

Just over 42% of the U.S. population was considered obese in 2018, and obesity rate will reach nearly 50% by 2030 in the U.S., says OECD.

An overwhelming majority of people who have been hospitalized, needed a ventilator or died from Covid-19 have been overweight or obese, the CDC said in a new study Monday. So obesity is the #1 cause of hospitalizations not covid. Being obese and unhealthy, is truly a pandemic in the USA.

Contrary to recent promoted ideologies, being obese is not OK or Normal – it is a severe health hazzard.

Among 148,494 adults who received a Covid-19 diagnosis during an emergency department or inpatient visit at 238 U.S. hospitals from March to December, 71,491 were hospitalized. Of those who were admitted, 27.8% were overweight and 50.2% were obese, according to the CDC report. Overweight is defined as having a body mass index of 25 or more, while obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or more.

The agency found the risk for hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths was lowest among individuals with BMIs under 25. The risk of severe illness “sharply increased, as BMIs rose, particularly among people 65 and older, the agency said.

Just over 42% of the U.S. population was considered obese in 2018, according to the agency’s most recent statistics.

“As clinicians develop care plans for COVID-19 patients, they should consider the risk for severe outcomes in patients with higher BMIs, especially for those with severe obesity,” the agency wrote.

The CDC added the findings highlight the clinical and public health implications of higher BMIs, including the promotion of Covid prevention strategies such as continued vaccine prioritization, masking and policies to ensure community access to nutrition and physical activities.

Obesity is a common and costly chronic disease in the U.S. Non-Hispanic Black adults have the highest prevalence of self-reported obesity in the U.S., followed by Hispanic adults and non-Hispanic white people, according to the CDC.

The CDC has previously noted that having obesity increases the risk of severe illness, including hospitalizations. Obesity is linked to impaired immune function and decreased lung capacity that can make ventilation more difficult, the agency has said.

The future is fatter: Perhaps even more disturbing is the glimpse that the OECD offers into the coming years. As the below graph shows, obesity rates are expected to increase until at least 2030, led by the U.S., Mexico and England, where 47%, 39% and 35% of the population are expected to be obese by 2030.