Obesity-Related Mortality Rose After COVID-19 Pandemic | ADA 2025
In a retrospective study of obesity-related mortality, researchers explored US death trends before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Obesity-related mortality continued to rise following the COVID-19 pandemic, despite rates expected to stabilize during this time, according to an abstract presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 85th Scientific Sessions, held in Chicago, Illinois, from June 20-23, 2025.1
“Overweight (BMI 25 kg/m2-29.9 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI 30 kg/m2 or more) are major public health problems, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, because of their association with increased morbidity and mortality,” wrote authors of a study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology.2 “Berrington de Gonzalez et al (2010) studied the association between being overweight and obesity on overall mortality in 1.46 million white adults over a median follow-up period of 10 years. They found an approximately linear relationship in the hazard ratios for BMI.”
Researchers believe it is crucial to further understanding of how obesity and COVID-19 are associated with each other. | image credit: bohemama / stock.adobe.com
There have been a significant number of reports discussing the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and increased risk of mortality among patients with obesity. With at least 2.8 million patients dying every year from obesity,3 researchers wanted to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted these trends and in what direction.
“The COVID-19 pandemic worsened obesity-related morbidity and mortality,” wrote authors of the abstract.1 “This retrospective study examines obesity-related death trends in the US using national data, analyzing gender, race/ethnicity, and age factors.”
In a retrospective analysis, researchers explored CDC data from the pandemic spanning 2018 to 2023. With the goal of determining obesity-related mortality during the study period, researchers explored age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) for 3 timeframes within the COVID-19 pandemic: pre-pandemic (2018-2019), COVID-19 (2020-2021), and post-pandemic (2022-2023).
Researchers also identified gender, race, and age factors of the study participants, stratifying each point of data in population estimates. Finally, they made sure age-related data was separated into 3 age groups: younger (25-44), middle-aged (45-64), and older adults (≥65).
“From 2018 to 2023, 56,802 obesity-related deaths were recorded,” they continued.1 “AAMR increased from 2.2 pre-pandemic to 2.8 during the pandemic, then slightly declined to 2.5 post-pandemic, reflecting a 13.6% net rise.”
For the overall population included in the analysis, researchers saw an increase in deaths at the peak of the pandemic. Those numbers eventually fell slightly, but obesity-related mortality saw an overall and significant rise during the 5 years of COVID-19 pandemic data.
When data was stratified for men, AAMR rose from 3.7 to 4.4, constituting an 18.9% increase among male patients. Women saw a slightly lower increase, with AAMR for this population rising from 3 to 3.3, a 10% increase. Furthermore, researchers identified racial disparities as AAMR increased by 20% among Black patients. For White patients, AAMR only increased by 14.7%.
Finally, AAMR rose by 25% in younger adults, 14% in middle-aged adults, and 16.1% in older adults.1
“The inclusion of obesity or surrogate body mass index in prognostic scores and streamlining the management strategy and treatment guidelines to account for the impact of obesity would be vital to improving patient outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” continued authors of the Frontiers in Endocrinology study.2 “Our findings also serve as a call for the scientific community to delve further into its pathophysiology and identify potential pharmacological targets, since COVID-19 is an ever-evolving disease.”
While public health initiatives have advanced significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers believe it is crucial to further understanding of how obesity and COVID-19 interact with each other. Also, with racial disparities identified among an ever-increasing prevalence of obesity, researchers believe more needs to be done to overcome barriers to health care access.
“Obesity-related mortality was expected to stabilize post-pandemic but continued rising,” concluded the authors.1 “AAMRs remained high, especially among Black individuals, males, and older adults. These disparities reflect socioeconomic and health care access barriers.”
Read more from our coverage of the ADA’s 85th Scientific Sessions.
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