Mapping One Million COVID-19 Deaths and Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviors in the United States: Recognizing the Syndemic Pattern and Taking Action - 25/10/22

Doi : 10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.06.006

Ross Arena, PhD, PT ^a,^b,^⁎ , Nicolaas P. Pronk, PhD ^b,^c,^d, Deepika Laddu, PhD ^a,^b, Laurie P. Whitsel, PhD ^b,^e, James F. Sallis, PhD ^b,^f,^g, Carl J. Lavie, MD ^b,^h
on behalf of the
HL-PIVOT Network
^a Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Science, University of Illinois Chicago
^b Healthy Living for Pandemic Event Protection (HL – PIVOT) Network, Chicago, Ill
^c HealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, Minn
^d Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis
^e American Heart Association, Washington, DC
^f Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
^g Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
^h Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School-University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, La

^⁎Requests for reprints should be addressed to Ross Arena, PhD, PT, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, 1919 W. Taylor Street (MC 898), Chicago, IL 60612.Department of Physical TherapyCollege of Applied Health SciencesUniversity of Illinois Chicago1919 W. Taylor Street (MC 898)ChicagoIL60612

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Abstract

Tragically, the United States (US) surpassed one million documented deaths due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A convincing association between unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and poorer outcomes associated with COVID-19 infection has already been demonstrated and communicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in public health messaging. The US is experiencing not a pandemic, but a syndemic, specifically an unhealthy lifestyle behaviors–chronic diseases–COVID-19 syndemic. This syndemic has almost certainly significantly contributed to the more than one million deaths the United States has experienced during the pandemic. Decades of a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors laid the foundation for our current unfortunate situation by increasing vulnerability to a novel virus, especially among subgroups who have been historically marginalized. As such, a major pathway to defeating this syndemic is through the promotion of healthy living behaviors for all. Now is the time for action appropriate to meet the demands of a syndemic and a new path forward to a healthier and more equitable future.

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Keywords : Chronic disease, Diet, Healthy living, Obesity, Pandemic, Physical activity, Social justice

	Funding: None.
	Conflicts of Interest: None.
	Authorship: All authors had access to the data. RA: Drafting and editing the manuscript; NP: Drafting sections and editing the manuscript; DL: Critical review and editing the manuscript; LW: Critical review and editing the manuscript; JS: Critical review and editing the manuscript; CL: Critical review and editing the manuscript.