Citerank: (7) 348767A potentially unsustainable financial burden on the health systemThe range of obesity's impacts makes accurate economic analysis challenging; however, a November 2014 study from the McKinsey Global Institute placed the annual economic impact on the UK at around $73bn (£46bn). Earlier analysis and modelling for the 2007 Foresight Report suggested a cost to the NHS of around £4.2bn annually to treat people with health problems related to elevated BMI and a total wider cost to the economy of around £15.8bn (rising to £27bn by 2015 and £49.9bn by 2050).57DE7179, 362031Financial cost of obesity – USAAnalysis [6] prepared for The Fiscal Times by Scott Kahan—director of the National Center for Weight & Wellness at George Washington University—puts the total national cost of obesity (including direct medical and non-medical services, decreased worker productivity, disability and premature death) at $305.1bn annually. Including the intangible costs associated with pain and suffering from obesity and obesity-associated conditions would add at least a further $300bn a year (Society of Actuaries).959C6EF, 366990What costs should be included in the financial analysis?What cost factors should be included in the assessment of the overall financial impact of obesity on the UK economy?8FFB597, 399973A potentially unsustainable financial burden on the health systemThe range of obesity's impacts makes accurate economic analysis challenging; however, a November 2014 study from the McKinsey Global Institute placed the annual economic impact on the UK at around $73bn (£46bn). Earlier analysis and modelling for the 2007 Foresight Report suggested a cost to the NHS of around £4.2bn annually to treat people with health problems related to elevated BMI and a total wider cost to the economy of around £15.8bn (rising to £27bn by 2015 and £49.9bn by 2050).57DE7179, 399980What costs should be included in the financial analysis?What cost factors should be included in the assessment of the overall financial impact of obesity on the UK economy?8FFB597, 399981Financial cost of obesity – international comparisons8FFB597, 400007Financial cost of obesity – USAAnalysis [6] prepared for The Fiscal Times by Scott Kahan—director of the National Center for Weight & Wellness at George Washington University—puts the total national cost of obesity (including direct medical and non-medical services, decreased worker productivity, disability and premature death) at $305.1bn annually. Including the intangible costs associated with pain and suffering from obesity and obesity-associated conditions would add at least a further $300bn a year (Society of Actuaries).959C6EF

In the last decade, the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in populations worldwide. A less dramatic, but equally important increase has been seen in our knowledge of its effects on health and the burden it places on healthcare systems. This systematic review aims to assess the current published literature on the direct costs associated with obesity. A computerized search of English language articles published between 1990 and June 2009 yielded 32 articles suitable for review. Based on these articles, obesity was estimated to account for between 0.7% and 2.8% of a country's total healthcare expenditures. Furthermore, obese individuals were found to have medical costs that were approximately 30% greater than their normal weight peers. Although variations in inclusion/exclusion criteria, reporting methods and included costs varied widely between the studies, a lack of examination of how and why the excess costs were being accrued appeared to be a commonality between most studies. Accordingly, future studies must better explore how costs accrue among obese populations, in order to best facilitate health and social policy interventions.

This paper is the first to use the method of instrumental variables (IV) to estimate the impact of obesity on medical costs in order to address the endogeneity of weight and to reduce the bias from reporting error in weight. Models are estimated using restricted-use data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey for 2000-2005. The IV model, which exploits genetic variation in weight as a natural experiment, yields estimates of the impact of obesity on medical costs that are considerably higher than the estimates reported in the previous literature. For example, obesity is associated with $656 higher annual medical care costs, but the IV results indicate that obesity raises annual medical costs by $2741 (in 2005 dollars). These results imply that the previous literature has underestimated the medical costs of obesity, resulting in underestimates of the economic rationale for government intervention to reduce obesity-related externalities.

Citerank: (13) 362031Financial cost of obesity – USAAnalysis [6] prepared for The Fiscal Times by Scott Kahan—director of the National Center for Weight & Wellness at George Washington University—puts the total national cost of obesity (including direct medical and non-medical services, decreased worker productivity, disability and premature death) at $305.1bn annually. Including the intangible costs associated with pain and suffering from obesity and obesity-associated conditions would add at least a further $300bn a year (Society of Actuaries).959C6EF, 362119Direct healthcare costs of obesityThe direct costs of obesity are those that result from outpatient and inpatient health services (including surgery), laboratory and radiological tests, and drug therapy. [1]57DE7179, 362121Indirect financial costs of obesityThe indirect costs of obesity are the resources forgone as a result of an obesity-related health condition. [1]57DE7179, 362122AbsenteeismObese employees miss more days from work due to short-term absences and long-term disability, than nonobese employees. [2]57DE7179, 362124Early retirementObese employees are more likely, in general, to retire early than non-obese employees.57DE7179, 362125Premature mortalityPremature death is more likely, in general, among obese employees than non-obese employees.57DE7179, 399981Financial cost of obesity – international comparisons8FFB597, 400000Direct healthcare costs of obesityThe direct costs of obesity are those that result from outpatient and inpatient health services (including surgery), laboratory and radiological tests, and drug therapy. [1]57DE7179, 400001Indirect financial costs of obesityThe indirect costs of obesity are the resources forgone as a result of an obesity-related health condition. [1]57DE7179, 400007Financial cost of obesity – USAAnalysis [6] prepared for The Fiscal Times by Scott Kahan—director of the National Center for Weight & Wellness at George Washington University—puts the total national cost of obesity (including direct medical and non-medical services, decreased worker productivity, disability and premature death) at $305.1bn annually. Including the intangible costs associated with pain and suffering from obesity and obesity-associated conditions would add at least a further $300bn a year (Society of Actuaries).959C6EF, 400034AbsenteeismObese employees miss more days from work due to short-term absences and long-term disability, than nonobese employees. [2]57DE7179, 400036Early retirementObese employees are more likely, in general, to retire early than non-obese employees.57DE7179, 400037Premature mortalityPremature death is more likely, in general, among obese employees than non-obese employees.57DE7179

Treating obesity and obesity-related conditions costs billions of dollars a year. By one estimate, the U.S. spent $190 billion on obesity-related health care expenses in 2005—double previous estimates. (1) The enormity of this economic burden and the huge toll that excess weight takes on health and well-being are beginning to raise global political awareness that individuals, communities, states, nations, and international organizations must do more to stem the rising tide of obesity.

Citerank: (7) 348767A potentially unsustainable financial burden on the health systemThe range of obesity's impacts makes accurate economic analysis challenging; however, a November 2014 study from the McKinsey Global Institute placed the annual economic impact on the UK at around $73bn (£46bn). Earlier analysis and modelling for the 2007 Foresight Report suggested a cost to the NHS of around £4.2bn annually to treat people with health problems related to elevated BMI and a total wider cost to the economy of around £15.8bn (rising to £27bn by 2015 and £49.9bn by 2050).57DE7179, 362031Financial cost of obesity – USAAnalysis [6] prepared for The Fiscal Times by Scott Kahan—director of the National Center for Weight & Wellness at George Washington University—puts the total national cost of obesity (including direct medical and non-medical services, decreased worker productivity, disability and premature death) at $305.1bn annually. Including the intangible costs associated with pain and suffering from obesity and obesity-associated conditions would add at least a further $300bn a year (Society of Actuaries).959C6EF, 366990What costs should be included in the financial analysis?What cost factors should be included in the assessment of the overall financial impact of obesity on the UK economy?8FFB597, 399973A potentially unsustainable financial burden on the health systemThe range of obesity's impacts makes accurate economic analysis challenging; however, a November 2014 study from the McKinsey Global Institute placed the annual economic impact on the UK at around $73bn (£46bn). Earlier analysis and modelling for the 2007 Foresight Report suggested a cost to the NHS of around £4.2bn annually to treat people with health problems related to elevated BMI and a total wider cost to the economy of around £15.8bn (rising to £27bn by 2015 and £49.9bn by 2050).57DE7179, 399980What costs should be included in the financial analysis?What cost factors should be included in the assessment of the overall financial impact of obesity on the UK economy?8FFB597, 399981Financial cost of obesity – international comparisons8FFB597, 400007Financial cost of obesity – USAAnalysis [6] prepared for The Fiscal Times by Scott Kahan—director of the National Center for Weight & Wellness at George Washington University—puts the total national cost of obesity (including direct medical and non-medical services, decreased worker productivity, disability and premature death) at $305.1bn annually. Including the intangible costs associated with pain and suffering from obesity and obesity-associated conditions would add at least a further $300bn a year (Society of Actuaries).959C6EF

Rising prevalence of obesity is a worldwide health concern because excess weight gain within populations forecasts an increased burden from several diseases, most notably cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers. In this report, we used a simulation model to project the probable health and economic consequences in the next two decades from a continued rise in obesity in two ageing populations—the USA and the UK. These trends project 65 million more obese adults in the USA and 11 million more obese adults in the UK by 2030, consequently accruing an additional 6 – 8·5 million cases of diabetes, 5·7 – 7·3 million cases of heart disease and stroke, 492,000—669,000 additional cases of cancer, and 26 – 55 million quality-adjusted life years forgone for USA and UK combined. The combined medical costs associated with treatment of these preventable diseases are estimated to increase by $48 – 66 billion/year in the USA and by £1·9 - 2 billion/year in the UK by 2030. Hence, effective policies to promote healthier weight also have economic benefits.

Over the last few decades, rates of obesity have been rapidly rising, first across the developed world and, more recently, in developing countries. The health impacts can be myriad and serious, and the implications for individuals and for governments – including increasing health-care costs and falling economic output – are clear. Policymakers will be faced with the financial consequences of obesity – and they are well placed to take action to control the epidemic and its health repercussions, through better prevention (involving many government departments) and management. However, are their perceptions of obesity and obesity policy accurate? Do they appreciate the extent of the epidemic, the drivers of obesity, and the tools and actions that need to be taken to make a difference?

To address these questions, the European Association for the Study of Obesity, with C3 Collaborating for Health, surveyed 333 policymakers, from legislative and executive branches of government, in 11 countries – Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the United States. * Those who took part were selected for their position in government, not for their particular responsibility for obesity.

The survey found that almost all the policymakers saw the individual as having responsibility for reducing obesity in the future – with family and the food industry also having a powerful influence. Other groups, such as health-care professionals, government, society and employers were seen as less responsible. Similarly, while physical activity, and marketing of and access to unhealthy food, were seen by a large majority of the policymakers as being important drivers of obesity, there was less consensus on the strength of the role played by issues such as limited finance and genetics.

Policymakers varied in their response to questions on national obesity policy and tools and their effectiveness – and, as the country summaries make clear in the first part of this report, the countries vary greatly in the extent to which policies to tackle obesity are in place. Policymakers’ perceptions of national policy and knowledge of policies and the impact of different approaches (such as lifestyle interventions, drug treatment and surgery) differed, both in terms of whether they are a good course of action and whether they are currently in place and effective.

The survey also uncovered some gaps in knowledge among many of the policymakers. For example, policymakers were often not fully informed on the prevalence of obesity and (in particular) overweight, and their responses about progress and policy do not always reflect reality.