Being Obese Costs Money - More For Women Than For Men
Author: Dr. Lee
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Time: 2010/11/18 17:26:41
Being obese does not only pose a potential health risk, there is also a cost involved - being obese costs money, say researchers from George Washington University in a new report. They found that obsity costs the average female $4,879 and male $2,646 annually in lost productivity, employee sick days, and other costs. It is well known that obese individuals have overall higher medical bills, but the authors say that this is only a part of the economic impact.
If a person's bodyweight is at least 20% higher than it should be, he or she is considered obese. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight. If your BMI is 30 or over you are considered obese.
Being overweight is more expensive than having normal bodyweight, but it is cheaper than being obese, the authors say. Being overweight costs $524 for females and $432 for males each year, according to the report which analyzed previously published studies.
The investigators write that almost 10% of current American medical costs are due to obesity, about $147 billion per year. If current trends continue, obesity will represent between 16% and 18% of total US health care costs.
