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Study puts a number on the cost of obesity
Posted
9-27-99 Washington. Americans are fat and getting fatter-a trend that has enormous ramifications for healthcare costs. According to a study commissioned by the American Obesity Association, the estimated tab for treating obesity-related illnesses could reach $238 billion this year-more than twice the amount experts predicted. The association released the study, conducted by the Lewin Group in Falls Church, Va., at its conference on obesity and public policy, held Sept. 22 in Washington, D.C. The study found the growing number of obese adults accounts for about one-third of the cost of treating 15 major diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, arthritis, and stroke. The $238 billion estimate includes $102 billion for the 15 major diseases and $136 billion more based on the chances of contracting other ailments in which obesity plays a role, including various cancers, plus diseases of the kidney, gallbladder, and liver. The estimate does not include $33 billion for weight-loss programs or account for the nearly $47 billion lost in lowered productivity or absenteeism, said Edward Calimag, an associate with the Lewin Group. In the eyes of association officials, the estimate of billions of dollars only underscores the magnitude of the problem. "It's shocking to hear the figure," said Jackie Viteri, public relations coordinator for the American Obesity Association, a nonprofit group whose mission is to have obesity regarded as a disease of "epidemic" proportions. "But it didn't really surprise us because so many co-morbid conditions are related to obesity and it affects such a large population." Obesity rates in the United States have risen sharply in the past 10 years, with 22 percent of the adult population considered obese. The government defines obesity as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. (To compute BMI, divide weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.) "The country has been in denial about the whole obesity issue," said association Executive Director Morgan Downey, adding that rising costs for treatment of these diseases "is going to frustrate almost all efforts to control healthcare costs."
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