Costs of obesity and overweight
The economic impact of obesity and overweight population in terms of illness, diseases and lost productivity is significant. Obesity and overweight statistics below include cost information on cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, hypertension, gallbladder disease, and lost productivity.
Overweight and obesity costs total $117 billion in the United States. Direct cost is $61 billion. Indirect cost is $56 billion.
Direct costs include the cost of physicians and other professionals, hospital and nursing home services, the cost of medications, home health care and other medical durables. Indirect costs include lost productivity that results from illness and death.
Cancer costs related to overweight and obesity:
Breast cancer: Total cost: $2.9 billion, Direct cost: $1.1 billion, Indirect
cost: $1.8 billion
Endometrial cancer: Total cost: $933 million, Direct cost: $310 million,
Indirect cost: $623 million
Colon cancer: Total cost: $3.5 billion, Direct cost: $1.3 billion, Indirect
cost: $2.2 billion
Type 2 diabetes costs related to overweight and obesity: cost is $98 billion (total).
Osteoarthritis costs related to overweight and obesity: Total cost is $21.2 billion. Direct cost is $5.3 billion. Indirect cost is $15.9.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) costs related to overweight and obesity: Direct cost $4.1 (17 percent of the total cost of hypertension).
Gallbladder disease costs related to overweight and obesity: Total cost: $3.4 billion, Direct cost: $3.2 billion, Indirect cost: $187 million.
Lost productivity costs related to obesity (BMI > 30) among Americans ages 17-64 is $3.9 billion. This value considers the following annual numbers (for 1994):
-Workdays lost related to obesity: 39.3 million
-Physician office visits related to obesity: 62.7 million
-Restricted activity days related to obesity: 239.0 million
-Bed-days related to obesity: 89.5 million
Less than one-third (31.8 percent) of U.S. adults get regular leisure-time physical activity (defined as light or moderate activity five times or more per week for 30 minutes or more each time and/or vigorous activity three times or more per week for 20 minutes or more each time). About 10 percent of adults do no physical activity at all in their leisure time.
About 25 percent of young people (ages 12-21 years) participate in light to moderate activity (e.g., walking, bicycling) nearly every day. About 50 percent regularly engage in vigorous physical activity. Approximately 25 percent report no vigorous physical activity, and 14 percent report no recent vigorous or light to moderate physical activity
Direct costs of physical inactivity are estimated at over $24 billion
Sources include: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), American Heart Association, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services
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