Tag: Obesity

Childhood Obesity Is Soaring to New Levels

Kids’ weight has spiked during the pandemic, but it’s part of a long-term trend
As a pediatric endocrinologist in a busy New York City hospital, I am acutely aware of the impact COVID-19 has had on my patients. The physical, emotional, social, and academic costs of the pandemic are evident every time I examine a child diagnosed with the virus. However, I am also deeply aware of another health risk that is threatening the well-being of my patients — the significant increase in obesity that we have seen in children and teenagers over the past 18 months.

Before COVID-19, obesity affected around 20% of American children 2 to 19 years of age. Now, the numbers are expected to rise much further, with modeling studies predicting at least a 3% to 4% weight gain in children during the pandemic … read more

Visceral Fat Associated With Increased Arterial Stiffness in Youth With Obesity

Data show In youth with obesity, but not healthy weight, visceral fat was positively associated with PWV and was predictive of PWV beyond BMI and waist circumference.

New research dove into associations between visceral fat and arterial stiffness in youth with healthy weight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D), in order to discover whether the relationships were independent of body fatness estimates as a predictor of cardiovascular events … read more

COVID in the ICU: Can Patients Be Too Obese for ECMO?

Published guidelines recommend against extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for morbidly obese COVID-19 patients in severe distress, but a Florida researcher said his center’s experience indicates that such advice needs another look.

At Orlando Regional Medical Center, mortality in COVID patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and body mass index (BMI) values above 40, while not good, was no worse than previously reported for all critically ill COVID patients in a large database, said Sergio Ramirez, MD, a critical care fellow at the institution … read more

 

related:
2,000th ECMO patient

Are Restaurants Exacerbating the Obesity Epidemic?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, almost all discussion of restaurant-related health has centered on one topic: how to protect diners and staff from the virus. But another health issue has been largely overlooked: how restaurants compromise Americans’ health by selling fare that is high in caloric density, fat, added sugars, and sodium, but low in essential fiber. And during a pandemic where obesity and other pre-existing health conditions have been risk factors for severe disease, this discussion couldn’t be more relevant.

It’s common knowledge that fast food sold by chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and the like has a poor nutritional profile. But the appetizers, entrees, and desserts sold at full-service restaurants aren’t much better … read more

Study to Explore the Impact of Simulating Extreme Obesity on Health Care Professionals ….

Extremely obese patients pose significant challenges for those who strive to provide care. The prevalence and consequences of weight bias and stigma in health care have been well documented, but research on how to reduce weight bias and stigma is limited. To assess the impact of simulating obesity on the attitudes and perceptions of health professionals toward extreme obesity, a qualitative study involving 6 registered nurses and 1 registered physiotherapist was conducted between November 2015 and May 2016.

 

Health professionals who had regular contact with persons with obesity were recruited through poster advertisement in 1 hospital and 2 universities. Participants completed a demographic survey that included their physical measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference). They then wore a suit simulating the shape and size of a person with extreme obesity for approximately 2 hours and engaged in activities such as taking public transport or visiting a café. Audiotaped, semistructured interviews were conducted before and after the suit exercise and transcribed verbatim for conventional content analysis that identified 3 main categories: 1) insights into the physical challenges facing people with extreme obesity; 2) awareness of social consequences for people with extreme obesity; and 3) changes in participants’ attitudes toward people with extreme obesity. Following the exercise, personal attitudes were found to be less judgmental and more empathetic. Using a simulation suit may increase awareness among health professionals regarding issues facing persons with obesity and may be a positive influence on diffusing weight stigma and bias in health care settings, particularly in the area of wound prevention … read more