Conjunctural hunger and structural obesity in the global scenario: reflections on what Covid-19 masks reveal

Abstract

ABSTRACT This essay is a reflection on the interconnection of the Covid-19 pandemic, social inequality, food insecurity and obesity in the global scenario. The pandemic health crisis is bound to an economic and social crisis marked by an increase in unemployment and a decrease in income with a consequent growth of food and nutritional insecurity. The impacts are felt worldwide, although the situation in each country, with regard to the conditions of social inequality and access to food, influences the magnitude of the pandemic consequences. At the same time, we are aware that food and nutritional insecurity is associated with low food quality and higher rates of obesity, which impairs the immune response and predisposes to worse prognosis. Thus, more economically vulnerable populations must face poorer disease outcome, besides the worsening of the economic situation and food and nutritional insecurity and the increase in obesity rates.