What are the Costs Associated with Obesity?
The total cost attributable to obesity amounted to $99.2 billion in 1995. Approximately $51.65 billion of those dollars were direct medical costs. Compared with 1988 data, in 1994 the number of restricted-activity days, bed-days, and work-lost days increased substantially. The number of physician visits attributed to obesity increased 88 % from 1988 to 1984. (Obesity Research 1998; 6(2):97-106) The cost of obesity to US business in 1994 was estimated to total $12.7 billion. The health-related economic cost of obesity to US business is substantial, representing approximately 5% of total medical care costs. (American Journal of Health Promotion 1998;13(2): 120-127) Sustained modest weight loss among obese persons would yield substantial health and economic benefits. (American Journal of Public Health 1999;89(10): 1536-42) We found that as BMI increases, so do the number of sick days, medical claims and health care costs and that the mean annual health care costs for the BMI at risk popul
