Pandemic Pounds Health Impact
5/21/2021
Study finds average weight gains of 1.5 pounds a month during pandemic
Biloxi, MS – As the days get longer and more of our community is opening up, we encourage you to reverse the extra pounds they may have added over the past year of the pandemic.
A recent study by the University of California, San Francisco confirmed what many of our scales and wardrobes have already shown us – lower activity levels and increased snacking and overeating have added up, and not for the better. The study found significant increases in weight of roughly a pound and a half gained per month following the shelter in place orders of last spring.
Even before the pandemic, CDC data from 2017-2018 showed that Mississippi has the second highest rate of adult obesity in the nation at 37.3%. Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher; obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher.
Extra pounds can increase your risk for many serious diseases and health conditions that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death. Overweight can lead to high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, many types of cancer and other concerns.
According to the National Institutes of Health, strategies for weight loss and weight maintenance include dietary changes, physical activity, behavior therapy, pharmacotherapy and surgery. Your primary care physician can help you determine what course of action can support your health objectives.
Our practice locations have a number of precautions in place to ensure a safe environment for your appointment. These include masking of all patients and providers, checking the temperature of all clinic visitors, screening clinic staff multiple times during the shift, asking that that only the patient comes in, and enhanced cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.
If you need help finding a primary care physician, visit MyMeritDoctor.com to be connected with one of Merit Health Medical Group’s qualified family medicine or internal medicine providers.
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