A recent survey has revealed that Germans have piled on the pounds since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and many have admitted to moving less.

The unhealthy side of the pandemic

Coronavirus is bad for you, who would have thought? Aside from being a particularly infectious virus, COVID-19 has had some pretty unhealthy side effects. Not only has it forced gyms and fitness centres all over Germany to close, keeping people from exercising like they used to, it has also forced all other social activities to close too. This has led to a lot of people binge-watching Netflix at home and stuffing their faces with lovely, comforting German food. 

The result? People are moving around less and gaining more weight. In response to a survey, carried out by the Else Kröner Fresenius Centre for Nutritional Medicine (EKFZ) at the Technical University of Munich and the Forsa research institute, 40 percent of participants said they had gained weight since the start of the pandemic. The average weight gained by the participants was 5,6 kilograms.

Eating more and moving less

52 percent of the study’s respondents said that they have been less active during the coronavirus crisis in Germany. This largely affected men, young people and those with a higher level of education, with it being postulated that these groups have been most affected by sports clubs and fitness suites being closed.

While the majority of respondents said that their eating habits have remained the same, at least 25 percent said that they have been eating more out of boredom.

From the participants, those aged between 30 to 44 in particular, complained that they had gained weight around their midriff. Furthermore, participants with a higher Body Mass Index were more likely to have gained weight since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. "Corona is fuelling the obesity epidemic," said Hans Hauner, director of the EKFZ.