US medical costs of obesity total $75 billion in 2003

US medical costs of obesity total $75 billion in 2003

A recent study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and RTI International found that medical expenditures attributable to obesity in the United States during 2003 totaled $75 billion. According to the report of the study published in the January issue of Obesity Research, expenditures at the state level ranged from a high of $7.7 billion in California to $87 million in Wyoming. Approximately half the costs were paid from public sources such as Medicare and Medicaid.

In a separate study published in the March/April 2004 issue of Health Affairs, researchers found that if current trends in obesity continue, disability rates in the U.S. will increase by 1% per year in the 50 - 69 age group. If this projection comes to pass, by 2020 one of every five health care dollars spent by this age group will be used to address the health consequences of obesity.

Presently, males with severe obesity experience 68% greater health care costs than normal weight individuals, and severely obese women experience 60% higher health care costs. Moderate obesity increases health care costs by 18% for men and 31% for women.

In a third study published by CDC Director Julie Gerberding, et al., in the March 10 Journal of the American Medical Association, obesity and obesity-related illnesses were found to be the second leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2000, with a mortality rate of 16.6%, or 400,000 deaths. The researchers found that obesity has increased in all segments of the U.S. population. Using CDC's 1999 and 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), they derived the number of deaths attributable to obesity.

Finding such as these helped stimulate the Department of Health and Human Services to develop the "Health Lifestyles and Disease Prevention" campaign, which was launched on March 9. The campaign will include multimedia public service announcements and a new web site aimed at encouraging families to engage in preventive behavior
FY 2004 NIH funding for obesity research is $400.1 million, up from $378.6 million in FY 2003. The budget request for FY 2005 is $440.3 million, a 10% increase over the current year. A proposed strategic plan for NIH includes research on the link between obesity and associated health conditions, optimal strategies for intervention and prevention, and the fundamental biology of energy metabolism.

The draft strategic plan, a list of current research funding opportunities, and an invitation for public comments, are available at (obesityresearch.nih.gov). A fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is available at (www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/fs040309.htm).