[yucky]

78% of the people hospitalized with Covid have been obese[1]. Almost half had diabetes. Mandates ignore this, and are therefore not logical. At no point in the pandemic has government included in their messaging the need to lose weight and exercise. It's always an argument of top down control.

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/08/covid-cdc-study-finds-roughl...

[rsynnott]

Governments have been telling people to eat healthier since roughly World War 2.

The status of people going to hospital is largely irrelevant; the goal should be to ensure that fewer people do. We know that the government telling people to lose weight is not particularly effective, because, again, governments in the developed world have been trying for decades without much success. More direct methods (eg the sugar taxes/minimum pricing that some European countries have introduced) are looking to be a bit more effective, but you're looking at a slow. However, covid vaccines are known to be very effective, and can be given quickly, so encouraging people to get those is appropriate.

[lern_too_spel]

The government has always messaged that people should lose weight and exercise, even before the pandemic. It hasn't worked. If you rely on that policy, it will take far longer for society to fully open.

Policies to increase vaccination rates have worked spectacularly. That's why governments use them.

[yucky]

>The government has always messaged that people should lose weight and exercise, even before the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, yes. I've heard no messaging about this as it relates to Covid though. In fact, when I saw these stats I didn't believe them since I assumed the CDC would have made a bigger point about the correlation between obesity and diabetes to Covid severity.

[lern_too_spel]

Again, what good would that do? Obesity increases mortality across the board, this is widely messaged, and this continues to be widely messaged. Would increasing the messaging around obesity affecting Covid mortality specifically cause any significant difference in hospitalization? I highly doubt it. The same people who don't like the government suggesting that they should get vaccinated would eat fried butter balls in protest, and everybody else would continue as before.

Vaccination policies (including mandates), on the other hand, are proven to work and have immediate effect. They are the most logical choice.

[yucky]

>Would increasing the messaging around obesity affecting Covid mortality specifically cause any significant difference in hospitalization?

Based on the data, yes.

So what would the argument against it be?

[lern_too_spel]

> Based on the data, yes.

Once again, what data shows that such messaging would work? I have repeatedly stated that this messaging is highly unlikely to be effective and have given straightforward arguments for why I believe so.

[yucky]

If you told people that the vast majority of people hospitalized with Covid are obese, you don't think that would drive people to address their obesity knowing that Covid is going to be endemic and will always be a threat if they don't?