Economic Impact of Obesity
What are the Economic Impacts of
Obesity?
It has been estimated that the annual cost of
overweight and obesity in the U.S. is $122.9 billion. This estimate
accounts for $64.1 billion in direct costs and $58.8 billion in indirect
costs related to the obesity epidemic, a sum that is comparable to the economic costs of cigarette
smoking85. Direct health care costs for obesity refer to preventive,
diagnostic, and treatment services (e.g., physician visits, medications,
and hospital and nursing home care) for obesity-related diseases and conditions
(heart disease, hypertension,
diabetes); while indirect costs related to the obesity epidemic are the value of wages lost by people
unable to work because of illness or disability, as well as the value of
future earnings lost by premature death. Obesity and obesity-related
conditions or ailments result in at least $62.7 million in doctors’
visits and $39.3 million in lost workdays each year.
The full
economic impact of obesity is highlighted below by the costs of common obesity-related diseases and conditions.
