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Publications

Journal Article Epublish 1 citation

PubMed: 40573991 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines13060660

Body Mass Index and COVID-19: An Overview Among an Italian Multicentric Cohort of Healthcare Workers in the Pre- and Post-Vaccination Eras-ORCHESTRA Project.

Vaccines (Basel) 13(6)

Authors: Gianluca Spiteri, Lorena Torroni, Maria Grazia Lourdes Monaco, Angela Carta, Francesco Taus, Alberto Modenese, Loretta Casolari, Maria Luisa Scapellato, Filippo Liviero, Francesca Larese Filon, Francesca Rui, Giuseppe Verlato, Stefano Porru

Affiliations

  • Occupational Medicine Unit, University Hospital of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy.
  • Departmental Faculty of Medicine, Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy.
  • Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy.
  • Section of Occupational Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy.
  • Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy.
  • Health Surveillance and Workers Health promotion Service, University Hospital of Modena, 41125 Modena, Italy.
  • Department of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, 35128 Padua, Italy.
  • Occupational Medicine Unit, University Hospital of Padova, 35128 Padua, Italy.
  • Unit of Occupational Medicine, Department of Medical Science, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy.

Abstract

Background The prevalence of obesity is increasing all over the world, resulting in a global health emergency. The impact of obesity on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptom severity, especially among high-risk working populations such as health workers, deserves further studies. Methods A multicentric retrospective cohort study was conducted among health workers at four Italian University Hospitals belonging to the ORCHESTRA Project. Data were collected through an online survey, investigating sociodemographic and clinical data, until September 2022. Results The questionnaire was filled out by 5777 health workers. The median age was 46 years old (I-III quartile 20-72) and 75.5% were females. Data on BMI was available for 5470 participants. Overweight and obese subjects amounted to 23.4% and 9.8%, respectively. Naïve health workers were the majority (57.4%). Overweight and obese subjects were at a higher risk of infection only before vaccination with respect to normoweight subjects (RRR = 1.28 (IC 95% 1.01-1.62, p = 0.039) and 1.36 (1.00-1.86, p = 0.047), respectively). Major acute and post-acute COVID-19 symptoms were more common among obese subjects, as compared to those with a normal weight (35.2% vs. 23.5%, and 14.2% vs. 9.3%). BMI did not reduce antibody levels after vaccination. On the contrary, overweight and obese health workers had a significantly higher RGM after the third dose (1.12 and 1.48, respectively; normal weight as reference). Conclusions Overweight and obese subjects are at a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination fosters a high antibody response even in these individuals. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 should be prioritized in subjects with a high BMI, especially in highly exposed workers, such as health workers.

MeSH

Body Mass Index, Vaccines, Respect, Vaccination, Covid-19, Health Personnel, Obesity, Risk Factors, Infections