Can Obesity Prevalence Explain COVID-19 Indicators (Cases, Mortality, and Recovery)? A Comparative Study in OECD Countries

<div>Rate of severe COVID-19 cases vs. prevalence of overweight and obesity. The vertical axis measures the projected probability of severe cases of COVID-19 divided by total cases of COVID-19 in percentage points. The horizontal axis measures the prevalence of overweight and obesity (<span class="nowrap"><svg height="9.64479pt" id="M89" style="vertical-align:-1.11981pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.52498 51.2985 9.64479" width="51.2985pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M372 352C427 368 507 407 507 502C507 548 486 592 451 616C420 638 376 650 301 650H44V622C124 616 128 610 128 527V123C128 40 122 34 36 28V0H257C336 0 402 12 453 40C512 72 548 124 548 191C548 291 471 335 372 350V352ZM213 362V558C213 591 216 602 226 608C235 614 258 618 282 618C377 618 415 558 415 490C415 406 369 362 260 362H213ZM213 328H258C380 328 450 283 450 181C450 76 377 35 296 34C231 34 213 53 213 125V328Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,7.644,0)"><path d="M861 0V28C774 35 771 41 768 147L759 509C756 612 762 614 851 622V650H681L449 149L221 650H57V622C148 613 153 609 144 479L130 271C123 166 117 123 111 88C104 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89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z"></path></g></svg>,</span> where <span class="nowrap"><svg height="14.9947pt" id="M90" style="vertical-align:-3.4033pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -11.5914 92.1421 14.9947" width="92.1421pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M372 352C427 368 507 407 507 502C507 548 486 592 451 616C420 638 376 650 301 650H44V622C124 616 128 610 128 527V123C128 40 122 34 36 28V0H257C336 0 402 12 453 40C512 72 548 124 548 191C548 291 471 335 372 350V352ZM213 362V558C213 591 216 602 226 608C235 614 258 618 282 618C377 618 415 558 415 490C415 406 369 362 260 362H213ZM213 328H258C380 328 450 283 450 181C450 76 377 35 296 34C231 34 213 53 213 125V328Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,7.644,0)"><path d="M861 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198 212 212 196C267 129 330 49 376 -2L513 0Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,45.092,0)"><path d="M463 437C426 431 375 425 327 422C297 440 264 449 231 449H230C153 449 51 396 51 283C51 215 94 168 139 149C123 129 91 103 51 88C50 78 53 60 62 46C75 25 100 2 136 -9C112 -28 73 -59 53 -79C38 -94 29 -113 29 -135C30 -192 91 -257 203 -257C336 -257 452 -160 452 -59C452 39 371 59 309 59C275 59 240 58 203 58C158 58 140 77 140 96C140 110 157 129 170 138C186 135 205 133 221 133C306 133 396 185 396 293C396 328 384 360 366 381L423 378C439 387 459 413 468 429L463 437ZM219 418C277 418 314 362 314 284C314 205 275 166 231 165C176 165 137 221 137 299C137 376 177 418 219 418ZM241 -11C285 -11 314 -14 339 -24C367 -36 384 -61 384 -95C384 -157 335 -206 240 -206C166 -206 108 -165 108 -110C108 -82 128 -54 154 -32C172 -17 195 -11 241 -11Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,51.222,0)"><path d="M368 703H309L44 -163H104L368 703Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,56.584,0)"><path d="M797 0V26C739 32 732 36 732 103V296C732 394 682 449 605 449C576 449 550 437 529 423C504 407 475 389 446 366C425 418 382 449 334 449C303 449 279 437 253 421C222 403 201 385 180 371V452C135 432 85 419 41 411V388C99 379 102 374 102 310V103C102 38 93 32 27 26V0H238V26C189 32 180 38 180 103V338C210 363 250 390 289 390C351 390 377 348 377 275V103C377 37 368 32 306 26V0H520V26C465 32 456 38 456 101V296C456 314 455 326 453 338C491 369 529 390 565 390C628 390 653 345 653 274V107C653 36 642 32 583 26V0H797Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,67.178,0)"><path d="M380 106C343 72 306 56 265 56C195 56 116 112 115 248C235 252 361 262 377 265C396 269 400 277 400 297C400 374 333 449 250 449H249C198 449 144 421 103 376S37 269 37 201C37 88 109 -12 232 -12C263 -12 332 6 395 84L380 106ZM225 412C281 412 315 364 314 312C314 297 308 292 290 292C232 290 176 289 120 289C135 370 180 412 225 412Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,72.703,0)"><path d="M298 36L289 62C276 55 253 45 228 45C202 45 169 60 169 141V397H276C289 405 292 426 282 437H169V574L155 576L90 509V437H45L17 408L21 397H90V107C90 28 125 -12 188 -12C198 -12 213 -8 230 1L298 36Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,76.59,0)"><path d="M380 106C343 72 306 56 265 56C195 56 116 112 115 248C235 252 361 262 377 265C396 269 400 277 400 297C400 374 333 449 250 449H249C198 449 144 421 103 376S37 269 37 201C37 88 109 -12 232 -12C263 -12 332 6 395 84L380 106ZM225 412C281 412 315 364 314 312C314 297 308 292 290 292C232 290 176 289 120 289C135 370 180 412 225 412Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,82.115,0)"><path d="M181 342V451C133 431 89 419 40 411V388C98 381 102 377 102 311V104C102 38 95 32 33 26V0H263V26C186 32 181 38 181 104V287C203 343 235 372 261 372C277 372 289 366 304 352C310 346 318 345 330 350C349 359 362 379 362 399C362 422 338 449 304 449C256 449 213 393 183 342H181Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,87.052,-5.741)"><path d="M414 144C384 79 371 75 317 75H135L276 221C367 316 408 376 408 465C408 570 327 635 237 635C179 635 131 609 100 575L42 494L67 471C94 510 138 565 205 565C277 565 321 517 321 435C321 348 258 270 195 195C146 137 88 81 33 26V0H411C423 44 433 88 446 135L414 144Z"></path></g></svg>)</span> in the population of OECD countries based on measured (rather than self-reported) height and weight. The figure is based on the following regression outcomes given in column (1).</div>

Journal of Obesity

fig4

Figure 4

Figure 4: Can Obesity Prevalence Explain COVID-19 Indicators (Cases, Mortality, and Recovery)? A Comparative Study in OECD Countries 