Current Affairs, Science & Health

Weight Gain And Obesity Up In 2020 In The U.S. : Shots – Health News : NPR

By Yuki Noguchi, September 29, 20211:01 PM ET

A Planet Fitness employee cleans equipment before a gym’s reopening in March in Inglewood, Calif., after being closed due to COVID-19. Reduced access to recreation likely has contributed to weight gain during the pandemic.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

It is official: The pandemic’s effect on America’s waistline has been rough.

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed 16 states now have obesity rates of 35% or higher. That’s an increase of four states — Delaware, Iowa, Ohio and Texas — in just a year.

The findings confirm what several recent research studies have found: Many Americans have gained significant weight since the COVID-19 crisis started, likely fueled by an increase in sedentary behavior, stress and troubles such as job and income loss that make healthy eating harder. And those rates are rising faster among racial minorities.

Source: Weight Gain And Obesity Up In 2020 In The U.S. : Shots – Health News : NPR