In France, around 17% of the population is obese. It is a chronic disease and a great risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Carrying prejudices and stereotypes, this progressive chronic disease is a long struggle for the people who are affected.
800 million adults including 124 million young people in the world and nearly 17% of the French population… the figures are alarming. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is characterized by “An abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat which can be harmful to health”. To measure obesity, we must rely on the BMI (Body Mass Index), it is the most reliable tool according to the WHO. It is a question of obesity when the BMI is equal to or exceeds 30 and morbid obesity if it is equal to or exceeds 40. Obesity is a pathology, it was declared as such in 1997 by the WHO. It is the result of many factors. Between genetic heritage, sedentary lifestyle, ultra-processed foods or even stress and air pollution, the reasons for this scourge are many and varied and do not depend only on individual responsibility.
A deadly time for people with obesity
Today people suffering from obesity are victims of a double punishment, first of all by the stigmatisms they face on a daily basis. But also by the appearance of Covid-19, where people with obesity have a higher than average risk of going into intensive care after contracting the virus. According to a recent study published by the World Obesity Federation (WOF), nearly 2.2 of the 2.5 million deaths linked to Covid-19 come from countries where obesity is very present.
“The correlation between obesity and death rates from Covid-19 is clear and compelling”
According to the British media The Guardian, the risks increase with the increase of overweight. In the UK, 64% of adults are overweight or obese, almost 20% of Covid patients in intensive care are of normal weight, 32% are overweight and 48% are obese. In the United States, the numbers are even more terrifying, adult obesity is 68% with 12% of Covid patients in intensive care with normal weight, 24% are overweight and 64% are obese. In France, the figures are hardly more reassuring, people suffering from obesity represent 45% of people admitted to intensive care. For Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO “the correlation between obesity and the death rate linked to Covid-19 is clear”.
The weight factor is just behind age when it comes to assessing those most at risk
According to the WOF report, the weight factor is to be taken seriously during a coronavirus pandemic. Dr Tim Lobstein, author of the report, told British media: “There are rich countries with low rates of overweight, like Japan, South Korea, which have low death rates. On the other hand, there are countries with lower incomes like South Africa or Brazil, where overweight affects more than half of the population, and we see a high death rate linked to the coronavirus “.
