Latest news with #CMAJ
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Obesity in Canada surges to one-third of adults, study links spike to pandemic disruptions
Obesity rates in Canada have reached alarming levels, with one in three adults now classified as obese, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). Researchers say the COVID-19 pandemic played a major role in accelerating this trend. The study shows that 32.7 percent of Canadian adults, roughly 10.6 million people, were obese in 2023. That's a jump of eight percentage points since 2009, with a sharper rise during the pandemic years. 'The pandemic had such a profound impact on our daily lives, including changes in our eating behaviours and access to healthy foods,' said Laura Anderson, lead author of the study and associate professor at McMaster University. The research analyzed self-reported body mass index (BMI) data from 746,250 Canadians aged 18 or older between 2009 and 2023. Obesity was defined using World Health Organization criteria as a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27.5 for Asian populations. Before COVID-19, obesity rates in Canada were rising at about 0.5 percentage points per year. During the pandemic, that rate doubled to 1 percent annually. While the study didn't investigate causes directly, experts suggest that mental health and lifestyle disruptions contributed significantly. Live Events 'There was isolation and depression,' said Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine physician in Ontario. 'People who were living with depression, their depression may have gotten even worse. And that's where we saw people having an increase in their weight.' The study also found that young adults aged 18 to 39 experienced the highest increases. Severe obesity, defined as a BMI of 40 or more, rose from 2.4 percent in 2009 to nearly 5 percent in 2023. More women were also affected by severe obesity, which researchers say may reflect increased stress and caregiving responsibilities during the pandemic. While new weight-loss drugs like Wegovy have been approved in Canada, they were not widely available during the study period. Their long-term impact on national obesity rates remains to be seen. Researchers say the rise in severe obesity is especially concerning due to its links to chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
CBC
15-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Canadian obesity rate doubled during pandemic: study
New research published in Canadian Medical Association Journal found that the obesity rate doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, something researchers say could be linked to more sedentary behaviour and mental health issues driven by isolation.
14-07-2025
- Health
Obesity rates in Canada jumped during COVID-19, says a new study
About one-third of Canadians have become obese — with more weight gain happening during the pandemic, according to a new study (new window) . The research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Monday, found that 32.7 per cent of Canadians (10.6 million people) were obese in 2023 — an increase of about eight percentage points since 2009. But the researchers also saw a steeper increase in obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic had such a profound impact on our daily lives … including changes in our eating behaviours and access to healthy foods, said Laura Anderson, lead author on the study and associate professor in health, research methods, evidence and impact at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. Obesity is a medical condition that puts people at higher risk of other serious health issues (new window) such as stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. With frequent lock downs forcing people to stay at home during the pandemic, researchers wanted to see how this changed people's weight. To study this, Anderson and her team looked at the most recent self-reported body mass index (BMI) data from 746,250 Canadians who were 18 years or older between 2009 and 2023. The researchers followed the World Health Organization's definition (new window) of obesity, classifying someone as such if they had a BMI equal to or higher than 30. (BMI has its problems as a measure of health (new window) ; it's not a direct measure of body fat and doesn't account for differences across ethnic groups, sex or gender, for example. But, it's still the preferred measure for researchers looking at groups and population-level trends.) Before COVID-19, Anderson says Canada's obesity rate was increasing by about 0.5 percentage points per year. But during the pandemic, she says that rate doubled, meaning the obesity rate increased by about one percentage point per year. While the research didn't look into why this might have happened, Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine doctor who works with people struggling with obesity, says mental health issues could have played a role. Dr. Sean Wharton is an internal medicine doctor in southwestern Ontario. He is the medical director of Wharton Medical Clinic and is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Photo: Lindsay Palmer There was isolation and depression, said Wharton, who did not take part in the new CMAJ study. Wharton says he's a clinical advisor to all of the weight loss drug companies. People who were living with depression, their depression may have [gotten] even worse. And that's where we saw people having an increase in their weight. When asked whether obesity rates will drop now, Wharton says he doesn't think so. Once you have that weight gain, it's hard to actually get it off. More women, young people became obese Over the 15-year study period and during the pandemic, the greatest increase in obesity was in young adults between the ages of 18 and 39 years old. And specifically, the research found that an increasing number of women became severely obese, which the authors considered to be a BMI of 40 or higher. While the study didn't explore the reason behind this, Anderson says it could be that women had increased stress and burden of other caregiving duties during the pandemic. And that was the case for Toronto resident Angela Martin. During COVID-19, she worked as a nurse in a family doctor's office. She also separated from her partner. Between those two events, Martin says 2020 was a hard year. Enlarge image (new window) During the COVID-19 pandemic, gyms were closed and exercise classes were cancelled during lockdowns. Looking back, I was so not fine, she said. Even though she's struggled with obesity throughout her life, Martin said she gained a significant amount of weight in the early COVID months. I mean you did the one thing you could do … you were not prevented from cooking so I tried all new recipes and then you couldn't go to the gym, she said. Jump in severe obesity concerns experts While more people became obese in general, the study's authors were most concerned about the rise in people with severe obesity. In 2009, about 2.4 per cent of Canadians were severely obese, but in 2023 that increased to nearly five per cent. With more severe rates of obesity, we're going to see more of the complications, said Wharton. In particular, he said people are more at risk of illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis or heart disease. When looking into other conditions affecting people with obesity, the research found that half of them didn't have any chronic health conditions, but five to 10 per cent had between three to six long-term health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. Enlarge image (new window) Injection pens of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy are shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, November 21, 2023. Photo: Reuters / Victoria Klesty Weight-loss drugs could have impacted data This study looked at data up to 2023, so it's not clear yet what the growing availability of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy (new window) — approved last year — may have on obesity rates post-pandemic. The study notes that may already be changing, but the drugs weren't widely available during their study years. The researchers didn't dive into this in their study, and won't be able to explore it until more data comes out.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Obesity rates in Canada jumped during COVID-19, says a new study
About one-third of Canadians have become obese — with more weight gain happening during the pandemic, according to a new study. The research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Monday, found that 32.7 per cent of Canadians (10.6 million people) were obese in 2023 — an increase of about eight percentage points since 2009. But the researchers also saw a steeper increase in obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The pandemic had such a profound impact on our daily lives … including changes in our eating behaviours and access to healthy foods," said Laura Anderson, lead author on the study and associate professor in health, research methods, evidence and impact at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. Obesity is a medical condition that puts people at higher risk of other serious health issues such as stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. With frequent lock downs forcing people to stay at home during the pandemic, researchers wanted to see how this changed people's weight. To study this, Anderson and her team looked at the most recent self-reported body mass index (BMI) data from 746,250 Canadians who were 18 years or older between 2009 and 2023. The researchers followed the World Health Organization's definition of obesity, classifying someone as such if they had a BMI equal to or higher than 30. (BMI has its problems as a measure of health; it's not a direct measure of body fat and doesn't account for differences across ethnic groups, sex or gender, for example. But, it's still the preferred measure for researchers looking at groups and population-level trends.) Before COVID-19, Anderson says Canada's obesity rate was increasing by about 0.5 percentage points per year. But during the pandemic, she says that rate doubled, meaning the obesity rate increased by about one percentage point per year. While the research didn't look into why this might have happened, Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine doctor who works with people struggling with obesity, says mental health issues could have played a role. "There was isolation and depression," said Wharton, who did not take part in the new CMAJ study. Wharton says he's a clinical advisor to all of the weight loss drug companies. "People who were living with depression, their depression may have [gotten] even worse. And that's where we saw people having an increase in their weight." When asked whether obesity rates will drop now, Wharton says he doesn't think so. "Once you have that weight gain, it's hard to actually get it off." Over the 15-year study period and during the pandemic, the greatest increase in obesity was in young adults between the ages of 18 and 39 years old. And specifically, the research found that an increasing number of women became severely obese, which the authors considered to be a BMI of 40 or higher. While the study didn't explore the reason behind this, Anderson says it could be that "women had increased stress and burden of other caregiving duties during the pandemic." And that was the case for Toronto resident Angela Martin. During COVID-19, she worked as a nurse in a family doctor's office. She also separated from her partner. Between those two events, Martin says 2020 was a hard year. "Looking back, I was so not fine," she said. Even though she's struggled with obesity throughout her life, Martin said she gained a significant amount of weight in the early COVID months. "I mean you did the one thing you could do … you were not prevented from cooking so I tried all new recipes and then you couldn't go to the gym," she said. While more people became obese in general, the study's authors were most concerned about the rise in people with severe obesity. In 2009, about 2.4 per cent of Canadians were severely obese, but in 2023 that increased to nearly five per cent. "With more severe rates of obesity, we're going to see more of the complications," said Wharton. In particular, he said people are more at risk of illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis or heart disease. When looking into other conditions affecting people with obesity, the research found that half of them didn't have any chronic health conditions, but five to 10 per cent had between three to six long-term health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. This study looked at data up to 2023, so it's not clear yet what the growing availability of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy — approved last year — may have on obesity rates post-pandemic. The study notes that may already be changing, but the drugs weren't widely available during their study years. The researchers didn't dive into this in their study, and won't be able to explore it until more data comes out.
CBC
14-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Obesity rates in Canada jumped during COVID-19, says a new study
About one-third of Canadians have become obese — with more weight gain happening during the pandemic, according to a new study. The research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Monday, found that 32.7 per cent of Canadians (10.6 million people) were obese in 2023 — an increase of about eight percentage points since 2009. But the researchers also saw a steeper increase in obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The pandemic had such a profound impact on our daily lives … including changes in our eating behaviours and access to healthy foods," said Laura Anderson, lead author on the study and associate professor in health, research methods, evidence and impact at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. Obesity is a medical condition that puts people at higher risk of other serious health issues such as stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. With frequent lock downs forcing people to stay at home during the pandemic, researchers wanted to see how this changed people's weight. To study this, Anderson and her team looked at the most recent self-reported body mass index (BMI) data from 746,250 Canadians who were 18 years or older between 2009 and 2023. The researchers followed the World Health Organization's definition of obesity, classifying someone as such if they had a BMI equal to or higher than 30. (BMI has its problems as a measure of health; it's not a direct measure of body fat and doesn't account for differences across ethnic groups, sex or gender, for example. But, it's still the preferred measure for researchers looking at groups and population-level trends.) Before COVID-19, Anderson says Canada's obesity rate was increasing by about 0.5 percentage points per year. But during the pandemic, she says that rate doubled, meaning the obesity rate increased by about one percentage point per year. While the research didn't look into why this might have happened, Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine doctor who works with people struggling with obesity, says mental health issues could have played a role. "There was isolation and depression," said Wharton, who did not take part in the new CMAJ study. Wharton says he's a clinical advisor to all of the weight loss drug companies. "People who were living with depression, their depression may have [gotten] even worse. And that's where we saw people having an increase in their weight." When asked whether obesity rates will drop now, Wharton says he doesn't think so. "Once you have that weight gain, it's hard to actually get it off." More women, young people became obese Over the 15-year study period and during the pandemic, the greatest increase in obesity was in young adults between the ages of 18 and 39 years old. And specifically, the research found that an increasing number of women became severely obese, which the authors considered to be a BMI of 40 or higher. While the study didn't explore the reason behind this, Anderson says it could be that "women had increased stress and burden of other caregiving duties during the pandemic." And that was the case for Toronto resident Angela Martin. During COVID-19, she worked as a nurse in a family doctor's office. She also separated from her partner. Between those two events, Martin says 2020 was a hard year. "Looking back, I was so not fine," she said. Even though she's struggled with obesity throughout her life, Martin said she gained a significant amount of weight in the early COVID months. "I mean you did the one thing you could do … you were not prevented from cooking so I tried all new recipes and then you couldn't go to the gym," she said. Jump in severe obesity concerns experts While more people became obese in general, the study's authors were most concerned about the rise in people with severe obesity. In 2009, about 2.4 per cent of Canadians were severely obese, but in 2023 that increased to nearly five per cent. "With more severe rates of obesity, we're going to see more of the complications," said Wharton. In particular, he said people are more at risk of illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis or heart disease. When looking into other conditions affecting people with obesity, the research found that half of them didn't have any chronic health conditions, but five to 10 per cent had between three to six long-term health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. Weight-loss drugs could have impacted data This study looked at data up to 2023, so it's not clear yet what the growing availability of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy — approved last year — may have on obesity rates post-pandemic. The study notes that may already be changing, but the drugs weren't widely available during their study years.
