The High Cost of Obesity

Today, as the value of life continues to increase, weight gain and obesity are increasing threats to some kind of well-being in countries all over the world. It is now recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that national obesity may deteriorate and expand over time. "The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts 3 billion overweighted adults worldwide by 2015, of which more than 700 million people will become obese" (Obesity: Statistics, 2008 , Statement No. 2).

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Graduate School want to know the height of obesity. In a study published at the Journal Obesity last month they focused on the high cost associated with health care and the loss of productivity due to missing work days. It is not enough to earn extra cash just by losing weight. Think about a slim friend who pays 38% of the $ 2.4 trillion of expenditure of the federal budget necessary for paying health insurance. If all obese or overweight people collectively decide to reduce to normal weight (and save 30,000 dollars per person during this period), more taxable days are saved throughout society .

Because the US belt continues to expand, researchers and policy makers are trying to figure out what kind of damage the obesity epidemic will bring to that country. There are direct medical costs for treating obesity related diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, hypertension, arthritis and related cancers. Then, there is an indirect cost: additional infrastructure for reduced productivity, increased disease, and heavier patients and residents. These bills were announced at Memphis. According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the additional medical expenses for obesity last year was $ 538 million, more than half of the city's public school system budget. In Tennessee, overtime medical costs for obesity are $ 2.29 billion, equivalent to over 6% of state budget.

Obesity also affects our economy. "Obesity status" sets the national cost of obesity in the range of $ 14.7 billion to $ 21 billion per year, showing that obese adults may be 42% more likely than non obese people. However, these figures do not explain why it is still more difficult to convert to data. Obesity has a great influence on the quality of life every day and is closely related to the low social capital of the community. This does not mean that American citizens do not care about their health. Indeed, we are one of the most controversial issues of medical policy and medical outcomes in the past three presidential elections. The themes such as opioid addiction, cancer treatment, contraception countermeasures have played a leading role in public discourse recently, but this is correct. These are imminent problems involving all Americans. However, the relative silence of similar disruptive diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and stroke is no longer acceptable.