The Additional Costs and Health Effects of a Patient Having Overweight or Obesity: A Computational Model

Abstract

Objective This paper estimates specific additional disease outcomes and costs that could be saved from helping a patient go from obese to overweight to normal weight category at different ages. This information could help physicians, other health care workers, patients, and third party payers determine how to prioritize weight reduction. Methods We developed a computational Markov model that represented the BMI status, chronic health states, health outcomes, and associated costs (from various perspectives) as an adult ages throughout his/her lifetime. Results We calculated incremental costs of adult patients with obesity or overweight (versus normal weight) at different starting ages. For example, for a metabolically healthy 20-year old, being obese (versus normal weight) added lifetime third-party payer costs averaging $14,059(95% range: $13,956–$14,163), productivity losses of $14,141($13,969–$14,312), and total societal costs of $28,020($27,751–$28,289); being overweight versus normal weight added $5,055($4,967–$5,144), $5,358($5,199–$5,518), and $10,365($10,140–$10,590). For a metabolically healthy 50-year old, being obese added $15,925($15,831–$16,020), $20,120($19,887–$20,352), and $36,278($35,977–$36,579); being overweight added $5,866($5,779–$5,953), $10,205($9,980–$10,429), and $16,169($15,899–$16,438). Conclusions Incremental lifetime costs of a patient with obesity or overweight (versus normal weight) increased with the patient’s age, peaking at age 50, and decreasing with older ages. However, weight reduction even in older adults still yielded incremental cost savings.

Anti-Obesity Effects of Dietary Calcium: The Evidence and Possible Mechanisms

“…It is now well established that obesity is able to progressively lead to and/or exacerbate a wide range of comorbidities [7,8,9], including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) [10,11], dyslipidemia [12,13], hypertension [14,15], cardiovascular disease [16,17], nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [18,19], reproductive dysfunction [20,21,22], and cancer [23,24]. As a result, obesity causes adverse effects on the quality of life and has marked economic consequences relating to increased healthcare costs [25,26]. In view of the prevalence of obesity, health consequences, and healthcare costs, there has been substantial interest in identifying effective and safe interventions/strategies to reduce excess body weight/fat in obese people.…”

Predicted Lifetime Third‐Party Costs of Obesity for Black and White Adolescents with Race‐Specific Age‐Related Weight Gain

“…Obesity imposes an immense financial burden on the already strained US health care system, with an extensive list of sequelae, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, pulmonary embolism, gout, and cancer . In addition to these issues, obesity in youth correlates with higher psychological stress and impaired skill development, although this issue remains etiologically unclear .…”

“…More recently, Fallah‐Fini pioneered the first age‐related weight gain curve based on recent data over the course of a person’s entire life . Though not allowing for racial differences, Fallah‐Fini’s age‐related weight gain estimate relied on the most recent and robust data available: the Coronary Artery Disease Risk in Young Adults (CARDIA) study for weight gain below age 45 and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study for weight gain above 45 . The study accounted for only four obesity‐related outcomes, had no racial component, and assumed disease independence.…”

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels: a metabolic TR(i)P to obesity prevention and therapy

“…Moreover, the nearly 47% increase in prevalence in children and adolescents of overweight or obesity during this period indicates that obesity will continue as a cause of ill‐health for many decades to come . The overall burden of healthcare costs for obesity and its related complications will continue to increase, as complications are life‐threatening, such as cardiovascular complications, insulin resistance and type‐2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, cancer, osteoarthritis and chronic kidney disease . The most important causal factor of obesity is an imbalance in energy intake and energy expenditure, with energy‐dense diets playing a major role in this imbalance.…”