COVID-19 pandemic increased the vulnerability of people living with obesity

COVID-19 pandemic increased the vulnerability of people living with obesity The COVID-19 pandemic may have left people living with obesity more vulnerable to the cost-of-living crisis, warns a study led by UCL researchers. Adults with obesity surveyed in the study reported that their mental health - which is known to be associated with weight gain - had deteriorated between the end of the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown in July 2020 and September 2021. The number who struggled to get access to affordable, nutritious food was also substantially higher among this group during the pandemic than was reported in the general population. The findings serve as a warning about the potential impact of the rising cost of living on people with the disease, according to the researchers. They call for greater support for people living with obesity, both to help address the ongoing impact on their mental health and food poverty longer-term. The research, published in the  Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics , involved an online survey of 1,187 adults living with obesity in the UK about their mental health, food insecurity and loneliness. Nearly half of the participants (47.3%) in the study reported that their mental health had grown worse over that period.