Silver Spring, Md.— As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, innovative scientific research results on Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its impact on obesity will be presented through oral and poster abstracts and a variety of scientific sessions at the 39th Annual Meeting of The Obesity Society (TOS) at ObesityWeek® 2021. This online event will take place Nov. 1–5, 2021 at www.obesityweek.org. On-Demand materials and other elements of the interactive conference will remain available online through Dec. 31, 2021.
"The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on how we all live, do research, deliver and receive healthcare. At this year's meeting, we are going to hear about the worrisome trend of increases in childhood obesity that have been observed during the pandemic, especially among children with class 3 or severe obesity. In addition, researchers will present how changes in healthcare access impacted people undergoing bariatric surgery and whether telemedicine is as effective for weight management," said Jaime Almandoz, MD, FTOS, chair of the TOS Program Planning Committee.
TOS's program chairs haves selected a sampling of top abstracts from the nearly 25 abstracts focused on COVID-19 and obesity that will be presented at the meeting.
Samples of the science that will be presented include:
- "Weight Gain during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a High-risk Cohort of Children" – Beck et al.
- "The Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on the Effectiveness of a Telemedicine Weight Loss Intervention" – Athinarayanan et al.
- "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Utilization" – Ofori et al.
- "The Obesity Rate Increased at a Large Midwestern Children's Hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic" – Siegel et al.
- "BMI and HgbA1c Correlate with Clinical Needs Before and After COVID-19 Vaccination in the VA System" – Pendse et al.
To view these abstracts or to read others, media representatives can log on to www.obesityweek.org and research the Read 2021 Abstracts section under the Abstracts tab.
Highlights of scientific sessions discussing COVID-19 and its impact on obesity include:
- TOS/PCNA Joint Symposium: Health Disparities of Obesity and COVID-19 Pandemic
Come to learn about racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, health inequities of COVID-19 and obesity; and how to reduce these disparities, particularly in Black women. These talks will be followed by a discussion of strategies for moving forward to take a step towards abolishing these health disparities in obesity. This symposium was jointly produced by The Obesity Society and Preventative Cardiovascular Nurses Association.
- TOS/WOF/EASO/Obesity Canada—The Patient Perspective on COVID-19 and Obesity
EASO will share the results of its comprehensive European Study with 3,000 participants across 10 countries. WOF will present highlights of its survey to show how the organization's members have perceived and dealt with the pandemic. The main part of the session will be a roundtable discussion among four different patients with obesity living in different parts of the world where they will share the challenges, fears and learnings from their personal experiences during the pandemic. This symposium was produced by The Obesity Society (TOS), Obesity Canada, European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) and World Obesity Federation (WOF).
- Voted Most Likely to Make a Scene—COVID-19
This symposium will explore the psychological and health behavior impacts of COVID-19 on people with obesity and review a cost-effective, remotely-delivered, obesity management program that may help address challenges of care delivery during the pandemic.
- Key Lecturer Shikha Jain: Striking for Gender Equity during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jain, MD, will discuss unique challenges women face and provide recommendations to retain and advance women in the field of medicine. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the gender inequities in medicine due to changes in care delivery practices, stay-at-home orders and unequal distribution of household family care responsibilities. Jain is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
- Key Lecturer Michael Osterholm: Fireside Chat—In it for the Long Haul—Considerations for Long-term Impacts of COVID-19 on People with Obesity
COVID-19 morbidity and mortality statistics have disproportionally affected vulnerable populations, which include those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and severe obesity. However, minimal information is known about the long COVID-19 symptoms among those with obesity who have been infected with the virus, according to Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
