Economic burden of obesity‐related chronic diseases in Mainland China

Abstract

The objectives of the present study are: (i) to estimate annual direct medical costs of chronic diseases attributable to overweight and obesity among adults in China and (ii) to predict the medical costs if the epidemic continues developing. Using 2002 National Nutrition and Health Survey (n = 39,834), the prevalence of overweight [24 > or = body mass index (BMI) < 28] and obesity (BMI > or = 28), and population attributable risks (PARs) for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke were calculated. The 2003 third National Health Services Survey (n = 143,521) was used to derive direct medical costs including costs for outpatient visits, physician services, inpatient stays, rehabilitation services, nursing fees and medications. The medical costs attributable to overweight and obesity were estimated by multiplying the disease costs by PAR for each disease. The total medical cost attributable to overweight and obesity was estimated at 21.11 billion Yuan (RMB) (approximately $2.74 billion) accounting for 25.5% of the total medical costs for the four chronic diseases, or 3.7% of national total medical costs in 2003. The medical cost associated with overweight and obesity could increase to 37 billion Yuan (RMB) (approximately $4.8 billion), a 75% increase, if the epidemic developed speedily and the ratio of overweight to obesity approached 1.1:1. The high economic burden of overweight and obesity suggests an urgent need to develop effective interventions for controlling the obesity epidemic and consequently the prevention of chronic diseases.

The longitudinal effects of behavioral, health, and socio-demographic factors on body mass index among older Chinese adults

“…Aging men and women who are overweight or obese had 6-17% higher lifetime healthcare expenditures than those of normal weight (Yang and Hall 2008). Further, a recent study estimated annual direct medical costs of chronic diseases attributable to overweight and obesity among adults in China to be $2.74 billion, accounting for 3.7% of national total medical costs (Zhao et al 2008). A Chinese case study also found that the indirect economic effects of obesity and obesity-related dietary and physical activity patterns accounted for 3.58% of that country's gross national product (GNP) in 2000.…”

Epidemiology of obesity in developing countries: challenges and prevention

“…In 2003, the mainland China expended nearly 21.1 billion Yuans (about $2.74 billion) in medical costs of overweight and obesity, counting nearly 25.5% of the total costs of medical care of chronic diseases and nearly 3.7% of national total medical costs [35]. The expenses of obesity alone in China in 2000 were about $50 billion and expected to rise to about %112 billion by 2025 [36].…”

The China Seven Cities Study (CSCS) consortium: adapting evidence-based prevention science from west to east

“…Besides human suffering, loss to the Chinese economy from the consequences of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke between 2005 and 2015 will amount to $550 billion [6]. Thirty percent of Chinese adults are either overweight or obese [7], and estimates are that 92.4 million Chinese, nearly 10% of the adult population, suffer from type 2 diabetes, more than any other nation with future sharp increases expected [8][9][10][11].…”