Heterogeneity of the Association Between Obesity and COVID-19 Mortality and the Roles of Policy Interventions: U.S. National-Level Analysis.

ABSTRACT: This article examines the heterogeneity of the association between obesity and COVID-19 mortality across various dimensions, including COVID-19 vaccination rates, mask mandates, gathering restrictions, and household income. Using multivariate regression analysis on U.S. county-level data over 2020-2021, the authors found that county-level adult obesity rates were positively associated with COVID-19 death rates. The results suggest that on average, a 10-percentage-point decrease in adult obesity rate is associated with a decrease in COVID-19 deaths by 4.79%-5.98% in the U.S. Considering that the average adult obesity rate in the U.S. is higher than the global average, this finding may explain why deaths due to COVID-19 were disproportionately large in the U.S. In addition, the authors found

SUBMITTER: Bhandari N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11834079 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature