Economic Consequences

Overweight and obesity and their associated health problems have substantial economic consequences for the U.S. health care system. The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity is associated with both direct and indirect costs. Direct health care costs refer to preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to overweight and obesity (for example, physician visits and hospital and nursing home care). Indirect costs refer to the value of wages lost by people unable to work because of illness or disability, as well as the value of future earnings lost by premature death.²⁷

In 1995, the total (direct and indirect) costs attributable to obesity amounted to an estimated $99 billion.²⁷ In 2000, the total cost of obesity was estimated to be $117 billion ($61 billion direct and $56 billion indirect).²⁸ Most of the cost associated with obesity is due to type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension.²⁹