COVID-19 and obesity. A SHARE analysis of educational and gender differences on diet and physical activity

Scientific evidence shows that food-related excesses, which are linked to obesity and are spreading globally both among adults and the youth, are the cause of new and widespread diseases ranging from cardiovascular disturbances to diabetes. Indeed, the body mass index (BMI) is rising rapidly in all industrialized and many developing societies. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the incidence of obesity, and the disease also has particularly negative impacts on obese populations, namely a greater severity of the disease and higher mortality. Obese individuals have a greater probability of suffering from other diseases that are independent risk factors for severe COVID-19, including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. Indeed, lack of physical activity and an unhealthy diet with too much fat and sugar constitute major and increasingly important determinants of poor health and premature death across the world. Using SHARELIFE data, this research presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between lifestyle behaviors related to physical activity and diet, education, and health capital (physical health, mental health, self-sufficiency, and perceived health), also incorporating a gender perspective. More specifically, the aim was to illustrate whether and how the self-perceived health status of older adults (the group hit hardest by COVID19) varies according to BMI and how it responds to changes in lifestyle behaviors, as well as whether and how these relationships are modified or altered by one’s level of education and gender. People with tertiary education report a better health status than people with primary education after improving their diet and physical activities, and this effect is greater for men.