At home and at risk: The experiences of Irish adults living with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: People living with obesity are at elevated risk of hospitalisation, serious illness and mortality due to COVID-19. Little is known about their experience of living with obesity during the pandemic and its associated stay-at-home orders. This study sought to understand the experiences of people living with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A stratified sample of Irish adults (n = 15) living with obesity engaged in open, phenomenological, interviews and a participatory photovoice methodology to capture both verbal and visual accounts of their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews, conducted throughout 2021, were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Findings: Two overarching themes were identified. A) The pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders had a positive impact on the health and well-being of some participants; a negative impact on others; and this impact changed over time as the pandemic progressed. B) People living with obesity reported feeling stigmatised and 'othered' by their 'at risk' categorisation. Public health messaging and public discourse relating to obesity resulted in some people feeling segregated and punished by society. Interpretation: Changes in lifestyle initiated by the pandemic's stay-at-home orders had a varied impact on the health behaviours and outcomes of people with obesity. This variance offers helpful insight into the psychosocial aspects of obesity. Furthermore, the 'othering' effect of public health messaging during the pandemic warrants caution in light of the already stigmatised nature of this disease. Funding: This study is part of the SOPHIA project which received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 875534.

“I’m Actually a Female Empowerer”: Student Perspectives on a Critical Pedagogical Approach to Re/Engage At-Risk Females in School

Internationally, there is increasing concern regarding the disengagement of marginalized students, particularly girls, from the formal education system, particularly since Covid-19. Students experiencing oppression/marginalization within urban education systems are considered at-risk from poor attendance, early school leaving, underperformance, low self-confidence, and social exclusion. In considering Paolo Freire?s conceptualization of education as ?the practice of freedom,? this paper presents findings from an intervention, the Female Empowerment Group, a critical pedagogical approach to re/engaging at-risk female students in school. The Female Empowerment Group created a space for at-risk female students to explore complex contemporary issues shaping the intersectionality of their identities as marginalized, feminized, and politicized citizens in/outside school. Drawing on findings from a mixed methods design (quantitative surveys (n?=?21 girls), qualitative interviews (n?=?9 students, 7 teachers, 2 parents), Ketso (n?=?9 students), this study presents the power of critical pedagogy for empowering and re/engaging at-risk students in school. Findings illustrate the powerful impact of a critical pedagogical approach for empowering students, enhancing self-confidence, motivation, empathy, and engagement with issues impacting their lives. Reported outcomes included more positive relationships with adults/peers, increased re/engagement in class and enhanced sense of belonging in school.

"I am terrified of something happening to me" The lived experience of people with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obesity is emerging as a risk factor for COVID-19 disease severity. The impact of the pandemic and knowledge of obesity as a risk factor on the lived experience of people with obesity is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with severe obesity (BMI ≥35 kg/m2 ), currently engaged in multi-modal treatment. The primary objectives were to examine the impact of the pandemic on their lived experience from a treatment and psychosocial standpoint and additionally explore their awareness of obesity as a risk factor for COVID-19 disease severity. An in-depth qualitative study was adopted employing semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Interpretive thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the data and identify key themes taking a grounded approach. Themes that emerged from the perspective of impact on lived experience were (a) challenge sustaining treatment and (b) psychosocial impact. There was an even split regarding awareness and lack of awareness of obesity as risk factor which itself contributes towards a negative psychosocial impact in most patients. The COVID-19 pandemic is posing a diverse challenge to people with obesity. This has implications for their on-going treatment. From an ethical standpoint, there is a need to fully elucidate the link between obesity and COVID-19, disseminate this information using people friendly language and imagery in a manner that does not exacerbate a harmful psychosocial response or lead to stigmatization.