At home and at risk: The experiences of Irish adults living with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background People living with obesity are at elevated risk of hospitalisation, serious illness and mortality due to

COVID-19. Little is known about their experience of living with obesity during the pandemic and its associated stayat-

home orders. This study sought to understand the experiences of people living with obesity during the COVID-19

pandemic.

Methods A stratified sample of Irish adults (n = 15) living with obesity engaged in open, phenomenological, interviews

and a participatory photovoice methodology to capture both verbal and visual accounts of their experiences

during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews, conducted throughout 2021, were transcribed verbatim and analysed

thematically.

Findings Two overarching themes were identified. A) The pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders had a positive

impact on the health and well-being of some participants; a negative impact on others; and this impact changed

over time as the pandemic progressed. B) People living with obesity reported feeling stigmatised and ‘othered’ by

their ‘at risk’ categorisation. Public health messaging and public discourse relating to obesity resulted in some people

feeling segregated and punished by society.

Interpretation Changes in lifestyle initiated by the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders had a varied impact on the

health behaviours and outcomes of people with obesity. This variance offers helpful insight into the psychosocial

aspects of obesity. Furthermore, the ‘othering’ effect of public health messaging during the pandemic warrants caution

in light of the already stigmatised nature of this disease.