Lack of exercise linked to a higher risk for severe COVID-19, death

Editor's Note

This study from the department of family and sports medicine, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Fontana, California, finds that a lack of physical activity was strongly associated with a greater risk of severe COVID-19 and death.

This analysis compares outcomes in 48,440 adults diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and October 2020.

Hospital admissions were about two times as common for those who had low exercise levels in the 2 years before contracting COVID-19. These patients also had a 2.5 times greater risk of death than COVID-19 patients who met exercise recommendations before the pandemic.

The researchers recommend that efforts to promote physical activity should be prioritized by public health agencies and incorporated into routine medical care.