The link between the two epidemics provides an opportunity to remedy obesity while dealing with Covid-19

J Policy Model. 2022 Mar-Apr;44(2):280-297. doi: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2022.03.002. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Abstract

The World Health Organization proclaimed the global epidemic of obesity more than twenty years ago. However, there has never been a coordinated action to address the problem on the global level. Covid-19 virus pandemic is world's largest public health problem currently. Many comorbidities associated with Covid-19 and obesity mortality are common. We determine that obesity is single largest and most common cause of mortality in Covid-19 patients globally based on a sample of 171 countries, while economic variables have no impact. This creates an opportunity to finally address the obesity global epidemic through an effort coordinated on the global level.

Keywords: COVID-19 mortality rates; Causality; Directed Acyclic Graphs; Obesity; Quantile regressions.