The Cost and Consequence Of Obesity

ECONOMIC COSTS of OBESITY

• In 2014 the global economic impact of obesity was estimated to be US $2.0 trillion or 2.8% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) or more than the cost of armed violence, war and terrorism combined. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409636/
• In the US, obese older males spent $190,657 more on lifetime health care expensesthan their normal weight peers while older obese women spent $223,629 more. A 2016 meta-analysis by University of Washington researchers found that annual medical spendingattributed to obesity nationally was nearly $150 billion—more than four times the federal budget for foreign aid and nearly enough to fund the entire U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Obesity’s Hefty Price Tag – march 8, 2017 http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/03/obesity-epidemic-in-america-healthcare-costs-000336
• In 2018, the cost of obesity at a national level in the US is projected to be $1425 per person, rising from $361 in 2009 http://www.nccor.org/downloads/CostofObesityReport-FINAL.pdf
• By 2030, medical costs associated with treating preventable obesity-related diseases are estimated to increase by $48 billion to $66 billion per year in the United States, and the loss in economic productivity could be between $390 billion and $580 billion annually by 2030. Although the medical cost of adult obesity in the United States is difficult to calculate, current estimates range from $147 billion to nearly $210 billion per year http://healthyamericans.org/report/100/

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES of OBESITY

People who have obesity, compared to those with a normal or healthy weight, are at increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions, including the following:

• All-causes of death (mortality)
• High blood pressure (Hypertension)
• High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
• Sleep apnea and breathing problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver)
• Low quality of life
• Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
• Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning(https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html)