‘Covid stone’ obesity crisis revealed
THE lockdown has led to an obesity crisis as hundreds of thousands of people have put on weight, new research has found.
The weight gain has been cruelly dubbed the ‘Covid stone’, and the situation is worse for women.
Almost half of people not working because of the Covid-19 restrictions reported ‘an increase in weight’ to an official survey.
With the coronavirus jobless totalling more than 645,000, that means nearly 320,000 piled on the pounds, research by the Central Statistics Office released yesterday revealed.
CSO statistician Eva O’Regan said: ‘Two in five respondents report that weight increases since the implementation of Covid-19 restrictions.
‘Women were more likely than men to report an increase in weight, 46.8% and 34.8% respectively. A quarter – 24.8% – of respondents with a healthy BMI report an increase in weight, compared to 44.9% for respondents classified as overweight, and 55.5% for those classified as obese. Almost half, 49%, of those in employment before the onset of the crisis, and currently not working, report an increase in weight. This compares with 37.6% of respondents that are working.’
Former Operation Transformation adviser Dr Eva Orsmond pinned the blame for the massive weight gain on people comfort eating to relieve the boredom of the lockdown, and an not being able to exercise it off.
As panic buying set in before the lockdown, people often bought foods with a long shelf-life, which are often calorie-packed and sugar-laden. Dr Eva, 54, who runs a series of weightloss clinics, said: ‘If people weren’t worried about the disease itself they were worried about what was going to come at the end economically.
‘People were comfort eating absolutely, but that’s always the case. The reason for obesity is often psychological.
‘On top of that, people had more of that long shelf-life food because many people obviously panicbought, myself included.’