Physical activity may mitigate COVID‐19 infections in people with obesity: A call to action

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, 42.5% of adults and 18.5% of children had obesity1,2 and less than 50% of the population met physical activity recommendations.3 Emerging evidence indicates that physical activity declined during the pandemic, likely due in part to school closures and restricted access to common indoor and outdoor places where people are active. Public health interventions are urgently needed to promote an active lifestyle and engagement in physical activity to mitigate the physical and mental adverse impact of COVID-19. 4 The association between obesity and the increased risk of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions and death is unequivocal.5,6 Furthermore, obesity increases the risk of intubation and death in patients less than 65 years old infected with COVID-19, independent of diabetes and hypertension.