Americans’ physical and mental health are suffering more than before the pandemic, new data shows.
The big picture: More Americans reported diabetes diagnoses, less regular healthy eating, high cholesterol and lower confidence this year, compared with before the pandemic, according to Gallup survey data released Thursday.
“What we’re seeing here is definitely pandemic-related,” said Dan Witters, the director of Gallup’s well-being research. “We’re seeing a pretty substantial drop-off in healthy eating habits and high levels of energy to get things done each day.”
“These trends are going to dovetail with the rising rates of obesity and diabetes,” he added.
Obesity and diabetes are at record highs, per Gallup.
38% of American adults were obese in 2023, up from 32% in 2019.
People between 45 and 64 had the highest obesity rate this year, at 44%, and the biggest increase since before the pandemic, up 8 percentage points.
Between the lines: Gallup used body mass index to indicate obesity, but the American Medical Association said this metric has caused “historical harm.”
BMI has limitations when used for treatment.
“Factors other than obesity status or age could increase the risk of developing diabetes, including physical inactivity, race and ethnicity, and genetic predisposition,” the Gallup report said.
Eating habits have worsened since 2019, including less produce consumption, the survey showed.
46% of survey respondents said they ate healthy all day before responding to the survey in 2023, down from 51% in 2019.
Meanwhile, home cooking fell to pre-pandemic levels in North America this year.
What we’re watching: While exercise habits remained similar from 2019 to 2023, significantly fewer Americans feel active and productive every day.
In 2019, 50% of Americans said they felt active daily. In 2023, that figure dropped to 24%.
An increase in working from home, a byproduct of the pandemic, could be responsible for this change, Witters said.
“Getting over to the gym and getting in your workout, that’s still intact,” he said. “But we are not moving around as much as we used to.”
Fewer people feel good about their physical appearance, too.
Details: Other key health metrics have also worsened, per Gallup.
28% of survey respondents said their physical health was near perfect this year, significantly less than 2019’s 38%.
More survey respondents said they were being treated for high cholesterol in 2023 (25%) than in 2019 (21%).
Zoom out: Patients sought out weight loss drugs this year, a market that is expected to top $100 billion by 2030.
Ozempic and Wegovy were on the federal drug shortage list in May.
However, the two prescription medications have limited insurance coverage, are pricey and come with potential risks.
