NJ is getting bigger: Obesity report shows impact of pandemic

⚫ More patients are being diagnosed as obese/overweight

⚫ The increase is greater among youth

⚫ Obesity leads to more issues, and more pressure on the health care system

Did you put on some weight during the pandemic?

You're definitely not alone, according to new data. But that fact shouldn't provide you with any relief — it's still a major concern, and a bad sign of what's to come down the line for the New Jersey health care system.

"The pandemic may have played some part in the data, and it's continuing beyond the pandemic," said Sean Hopkins, senior vice president of CHART, the New Jersey Hospital Association's Center for Health, Analytics, Research and Transformation.

According to CHART's analysis of emergency department visits in New Jersey, the proportion of patients who are considered obese or overweight increased from 1% (30,245) in 2017, to 2.3% (68,342) in 2022. That's a 126% increase over five years.

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“This is a troubling trend to watch,” said NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett.

Obesity is linked to a long list of associated health risks, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

According to NJHA's analysis, diabetes was about four times more prevalent in patients with an obesity/overweight diagnosis than those who were not obese/overweight. Conditions including asthma and hypertension also were prevalent among patients who were classified as obese or overweight.

"Obesity is almost a pathway to more and different chronic conditions, which ultimately means that hospitals are caring for a population that has more severe health issues, and it makes their health needs more complex," Hopkins said.

Obesity in youth

Looking at only patients under the age of 18, the obesity/overweight spike was even greater, the analysis shows.

Over five years, the proportion of youth emergency department visits with such a diagnosis increased by 236%. Still, the rate amounted to less than half a percent in 2022.

The prevalence of diabetes was nearly 15 times higher among young people who were obese/overweight.

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"If you can establish good health habits early, hopefully they will continue into adulthood," Hopkins said.

The NJHA report highlights the importance of access to healthy foods and nutrition programs, such as "food farmacies" at hospitals.

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