Dr Marc-Andre Cornier Explains How the Pandemic Could Increase US Weight Gain

Being alone at home could influence behaviors towards increased food intake, said Marc-Andre Cornier, MD, endocrinologist, professor, and director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Transcript

Are you concerned the increased sedentary and solitary lifestyles adopted throughout the pandemic will lead to upticks in US obesity rates?

I am. I think we had seen obesity rates start to plateau 5, 6 years ago, but then more recent data pre-COVID-19 showed a slight uptick. And so I'm concerned that with the COVID-19 pandemic, that that will continue to rise, for the reasons we've already discussed, that being alone, at home, that can potentially influence behaviors towards more food intake and definitely towards more sedentary time. Even if we're driving to work, you have to walk to your car, from your parking garage, to your office, etc. And if all you have to do is walk across your house to your computer, you're going to reduce your activity level significantly and that's only going to contribute more to increases in weight.