Ramiro Fernandez Unsain, Alejandra Roca, Mariana Dimitrov Ulian
Abstract
One of the co-morbidities of COVID-19 appears to be obesity and overweight. Although this is highly significant in epidemiological terms, we would like to draw our attention to the social role of obesity in the new global social-health scenario. Obesity needs a multifactorial approach taking into account sociocultural variables in order to explain these phenomena. But the stigmatic construction of obesity and overweight is an obstacle to understand its complexities. Health professionals, from all disciplines, must be vigilant in this regard. Obesity and overweight are not the only co- morbidities presented by COVID-19, but they are the only ones, so far, that can increase the stigma on a population already punished by prejudice.