Overweight & Obesity

Consequences of obesity

Health Consequences

People who are obese, compared to those with a normal or healthy weight, are at increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions, including the following:

All-causes of death (mortality)

High blood pressure (Hypertension)

High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)

Type 2 diabetes

Coronary heart disease

Stroke

Gallbladder disease

Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)

Sleep apnea and breathing problems

Some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver)

Low quality of life

Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders

Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning

FACTS

Sixty percent of adults are not sufficiently active to achieve health benefits. Mississippi had the highest reported percentage of inactivity among adults at 31.6 percent.

In total, Americans now consume 31 percent more calories today than they did 40 years ago.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, healthier diets could prevent at least $71 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity and lost lives.

The Economic Impact of Obesity

-In 2010, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that nearly 20 percent of the increase in U.S. health care spending (from 1987-2007) was caused by obesity.

- Annual health costs related to obesity in the U.S. is nearly $200 billion, and nearly 21 percent of medical costs in the U.S. can be attributed to obesity.

-Researchers estimate that if obesity trends continue, obesity related medical costs, alone, could rise by $43 to $66 billion each year in the United States by 2030.

-Per capita medical spending is $2,741 higher for people with obesity than for normal weight individuals.

 

 

Obesity's Impact on the Workforce

-Full-time workers in the U.S. who are overweight or obese and have other chronic health conditions miss an estimated 450 million additional days of work each year compared with healthy workers-- resulting in an estimated cost of more than $153 billion in lost productivity annually, according to a 2011 Gallup Poll.

-Medical expenses for obese employees are 42 percent than for a person with a healthy weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control.