Web MD article: Obesity Means Higher Medical Costs

[Guest guest]

I thought this study tied in well to the height weight conversattion we were

having and it might help someone we know get their approval for WLS.

) Vicki

(Jan. 13) -- Obesity not only burdens your heart and lungs, it burdens your

wallet. Overweight and obese people incur up to $1,500 more in annual medical

bills than healthy-weight people.

Dee W. Edington, PhD, researcher with the University of Michigan, is the

first to examine the relationship between medical costs and six weight groups

defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's weight guidelines.

The guidelines separate individuals into categories of underweight, healthy

weight, overweight, and three different obesity designations, based on

average body mass index (BMI).

In their study, Edington and colleagues analyzed two years of health records

of nearly 180,000 employees of the General Motors company and their children

over age 18. Their results appear in the January/February issue of the

American Journal of Health Promotion.

Researchers found that 40% of the employees in the study were overweight and

21% were obese, 37% were healthy weight, and 1.5% were underweight.

Annual medical costs were lowest for those in the healthy-weight group.

As BMI increased, so did medical costs. Among those under age 55, the

overweight and obese groups costs were " significantly more " than the normal

weight group, writes Edington.

Controlling weight and obesity-related health conditions (such as high blood

pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes) could potentially help control increased

health costs, she writes.

SOURCE: American Journal of Health Promotion, January/February 2003.

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